Tom's Queen
by calliopebrown7
Summary: Tom Riddle never thought he would find someone as powerful as he was. But there she stood. Someone so innocent yet so fierce it broke his heart. She was like a ball of light in his path. And he wanted her as his queen. Yet she wouldn't get dragged down into the darkness without a fight.
1. Prologue

_His name was murmured throughout the school. Known for his looks, his dark, calmly ruffled hair and his deep, penetrating eyes that were said to be able to see straight through you. His calm demeanor, his knowledge of every subject. His cool attitude, the matter of fact voice in which he spoke, the persuasive edge he got when speaking to a teacher. The calm shadow of a smirk that would grace his lips whenever he felt amused._

 _Tom Riddle._

 _His friends were all the rowdy kids from Slytherin, Abraxas Malfoy, Lestrange, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, and so on._ _Somehow, when they were with him, they were much more composed. They looked up to him, idolized him even._

 _Every girl wanted him._

 _Tom was known for being a heart breaker. He wasn't really a playboy, he would just befuddle a girl's mind and then leave them in the dust._

 _Tom didn't seem to care for relationships, or love. He seemed to be working towards something else, something so above everybody else that they would be stupid to even think about it._

 _Tom Riddle was like a god at Hogwarts. He knew it. Nothing could touch him, nothing could hurt him._

 _But there was one. Someone unknown._

 _He had been watching her for a while, since first year._

 _Something about her fascinated him. Maybe it was the fire that seemed to boil in her blood, maybe it was the way her eyes would fixate on one thing and her gaze would pierce right through it._

 _Maybe it was the fact that she was beautiful._

 _But Tom Riddle kept his distance, not wanting to fall in the trap, the trap he knew love was._

 _He simply watched her during their classes, and while they sat near each other in the library, but when she wasn't in his line of sight he would think about his plans for the future, his plans to rule the world._

 _But then he would see her, and his thoughts would stop tumbling around, like a washing machine on pause._

 _He would force himself to focus, because she was just a lowly Ravenclaw._

 _Or so he would tell himself._

 _But one day, during his fourth year, one of the older Slytherin boys were taunting some of her Hufflepuff friends. The Slytherin pushed one of them backwards, and she fell, and then the Slytherin boy drew his wand, as if to curse her. Everyone was laughing, and Tom watched with bored eyes._

 _Suddenly, **she** was there._

 _She drew her own wand, and started screaming at the Slytherin boy. The Slytherin boy, growing annoyed and angry, flicked his wand, as if to hex her, but she sliced through the air with her own wand, as if cutting through the air with a knife, screaming profanities at him._

 _A shield so bright erupted out of the tip of her wand and slammed into the bully, who flew backwards into a tree and cracked his skull. Everyone gasped and moved back in alarm, and suddenly the noise around everyone dimmed and the wind blew through the air as her shield hit everyone within a 100 foot radius._

 _Tom just managed to cast himself in a bubble as everyone around him went flying, their mouths wide in a surprised O. Some girls screamed as they hit the ground, some boys groaned in pain._

 _ **She** just stood there, shocked at what had happened, as her eyes brimmed with unshed tears._

 _Tom was looking at her eyes the whole time._

 _He, unlike everyone else, had seen the flash of purple that had flashed in her eyes as she had cast the shield._

 _He had seen the tiny purple flash at the tip of her wand._

 _And since he had not been knocked over, he had seen the ripple of purple in the shield as it had neared him._

 _He immediately realized her power._

 _He knew what she was, after reading so much about it._

 _She was a sorceress._

 _The last one in existence._

 _She was a direct descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw, who had been the first sorceress._

 _A smirk spread across Tom's face as he realized his infatuation with her would not go to waste._

 _She was not just a pretty face. She was powerful. Even though she was untrained, the amount of power in her tiny body would do well in his future. She could stand by his side._

 _Tom needed to have her._

 _After watching her for a second more, he turned on his heel, his cloak swishing behind him, and strode off, determined to find out as much as he could in the art of sorcery._


	2. It Starts With Tom

( _Fifth year)_

Flip.

Flip.

Flip.

I watched as she bit her bottom lip ever so slightly as she turned another page of her book. She was researching vampires, and her eyes darted back and forth across each page as her quill scratched out an essay which was lying on her lap. Her eyes widened when she read something startling, and her lips would turn up at the corners whenever she had read something that amused her.

I wasn't being creepy, I told myself, I'm just observant.

Yet, as I sat there, lounged on a deep green armchair, watching as she leaned back in her wooden chair at one of the tables, the same table she sat at everyday, the table exactly seventeen centimeters away from my left foot, as I had measured, the table where she would sit alone, day after day, escaping her multiple friends and eager boys, I felt the same tug in my chest, the tug to get up and sit across from her, to try to get her to smile, even laugh. I felt the tug of desire.

But alas, my reputation preceded me, and it wasn't helpful that one of her best friends was in love with me. It wasn't helpful that she had barely spoken a word to me in my five years at Hogwarts, it wasn't helpful that she barely acknowledged my presence despite the many rumors about me and despite hat facet that we're both prefects, and it most certainly was not helpful that I was a Slytherin, the house that I knew she despised.

However, all that didn't change the fact that I was attracted to her, and it didn't stop me from watching her over the top of my own book on vampires, while half heartedly writing out my own essay.


	3. Chapter 1- Stories and Staring

"I can't believe it!" I ranted to my best friend, Tessa Davis. "There's no _way_ Rubeus would've done anything like that!"

My best friend anxiously twirled a strand of her honey blonde hair around her finger as she followed me into an empty compartment. I plopped down on one of the seats, and put my feet up.

"I don't know, Liss," she said, looking at my enraged face. "Hewas just a third year. You know how stupid they could be at times."

"But Rubeus!" I cried out in disbelief. "Never! He was a Gryffindor, loyal and true to the end! I don't believe it, not one word of it!" I looked at my hesitant friend, and scowled. "Do you?"

"Well, I mean," she said, but then saw my anger filled eyes. "It isn't anything against Rubeus Lyss, I swear! It's just that Tom Riddle caught him _in the_ _act,_ letting his monster out in the dungeons. And you know Riddle, he's like the model student. And the attacks stopped right after they snapped Rubeus's wand, which was a relief for everybody, because they were going to close Hogwarts, and _you_ should know this better than everyone because your parents pulled you out after the girl died, and..." She trailed off as I raised an eyebrow at her. When she stopped talking, I scoffed and leaned back in my seat.

"LISSA!"

The compartment door flung open and my other best friend, Alyssa Clearwater, came flying in, her dirty blonde hair flying out behind her as she grabbed my arm and pulled me into a hug.

"Wha-" I was choked off as she squeezed me, then abruptly let go and turned to hug Tessa. The other three Ravenclaw girls in our year came in then, sweet but sly twins named Calliope and Penelope Brown, and a fierce girl named Constance Brooke.

"Chill, Aly," Callie said, shooting me a smile and sitting herself next to Tessa. Penelope came in and sat down in the small space on my bench between my feet and the window, and then Aly twisted my body so that she had enough room to squeeze on the other side of me. Connie simply shut the compartment door and then slid down against it, so she was sitting on the floor. I felt the train take off, and suddenly I felt very comforted to be back with all my friends.

Still, the feeling that something seemed off about the story that Headmaster Dippet and his pet Tom Riddle had spoon fed everyone seemed wrong.

"But how did Tom even manage to catch Rubeus?" I wondered aloud, leaning my head back and using Aly as a back rest. Tessa let out a sigh as I brought the topic back up. Connie looked over interested.

"Ooh, are we talking about what you missed last year?" she asked, pulling some sort of ball out of her pocket and casually tossing it back and forth between her two hands. I nodded and she grinned, a Connie grin, a grin that made it seem like she was plotting some evil plan because she seemed like a diabolical genius.

"Yeah, because _someone's_ parents got soooo freaked out even though they weren't a Muggleborn," Aly muttered bitterly, and I suppressed a smile. I knew she had missed me.

"Weeeell, as the story goes, Perfect Prefect Riddle was just oh so casually wandering the halls when he, with his super sonic hearing, heard a scary-wary growllll," Connie bared her teeth, then let out a slight laugh. I leaned forward, interested, while everyone around me rolled their eyes at her dramatics.

"He found that it was coming from this weird, circular, magically locked, door, and then Perfect Riddle pulled out his wand and immediately knew the _only_ spell that would unlock the door, and lo and behold! There stood dear ol' Rubeus Hagrid, training his _fearsome_ _monster_ to kill poor Mugglyborns! Immediately, Perfect Riddle tied him up with a quick spell, and bravely, fiercely, killed the monster, vanquished him, and then brought Rubeus up to the headmaster's office, where he was expelled, and his wand was _snapped_ , making sure that Rubeus would never, _ever_ , be able to harm anyone ever again. And then Perfect Prefect Riddle got an award, for special honors done for the school-" Here Connie made a face, then continued,"and then Hogwarts went back to its peaceful, crazy, atmosphere. _The end._ "

"Wow, Connie," Callie said, studying her nails, "You just made that so much more dramatic than it really was." She blew out a red strand of hair from her face and then looked at me. "All that happened, Lissa, is that Tom heard the monster and then caught Rubeus with it while he was patrolling corridors, and since Tom is a fifth year and Rubeus was a third year, he overpowered Rubeus, killed the monster, and then turned Rubeus in. Hogwarts is really lucky to have Tom Riddle." She smiled when she said his name.

"Oh, shut up," Connie drawled, staring at Callie. "We all know you have a _massive_ crush on him, like Aly did last year." Aly and Callie's cheeks turned back, and they both made sounds of disbelief. I rolled my eyes when the compartment door was forced open and Connie fell backwards as six loud, rowdy boys made their way into the compartment.

There was one with dirty blonde hair and green eyes who was smirking, one with dark hair and cocoa skin and one with platinum blonde hair and light blue eyes who immediately plopped onto the floor, two boys with brown hair and brown eyes who were laughing, and a slightly quieter, slight more nervous looking boy with brown hair and light green eyes who cautiously took a seat next to Callie.

"Carnell," the dirty blonde haired one said, grinning at me before shoving me over so he could make his way between me and Penny. I was now no longer lying down, so I scowled at him before returning his smile.

"Hey Zeke," I said, before turning my attention to the other boys.

"Guess who came back to Hoggywarts, Cooper," one of the laughing brunettes said, giving me a teasing smirk, before poking his friend who was laughing.

"Ooh, I didn't think she would come back, especially after her Mummy told her that the scary wary monster could've killed her, Russell," Cooper replied, sounding exceptionally like Connie.

I glared at both Russell and Cooper before stating, "You know it wasn't like that. They were just looking out for me."

"Even though you're a pure blood," the platinum blonde said snarkily, while shoving his friend, who looked mildly bored.

"Yes, _Tyler_ ," I said, sighing, before looking at his friend. "Anywaaaays, Jordan, how was your summer?" I said, addressing the darker boy, who shot me a grin. "And yours, Duncan?" I looked over to the nervous looking boy who was sitting, who smiled.

"Well, besides the part where I went to Ty's and had a ginormous spider living in my bed, it was great." Jordan drawled, before taking a seat on the floor next to Russell. Tyler let out a laugh and sat next to Duncan, before responding.

"You can't blame Marvin, he lived there first." Jordan glared at him, before rolling his eyes.

"My summer was good actually, Liss," Duncan piped up. On my right, Penelope shot him a sweet smile, which seemed to unnerve him.

I laughed, and then Zeke, who was next to me, slung an arm around my shoulders and said, "Aren't you going to ask me about _my_ summer?"

I brushed his arm off playfully and said "Nope, not after you laughed with Russell and Coop while they were making fun of me." Zeke looked at me with a mock hurt expression, before I heard the compartment door slide open and everyone fall silent.

"We'll be arriving in ten minutes," said the cool voice of Tom Riddle, as he assessed our compartment. I felt Zeke and Aly stiffen next to me, and I forced myself to look Tom in the eyes.

There was something about Tom Riddle that had always unnerved me. Maybe it was the way he only spoke to certain people, in a cold, matter of fact voice. Maybe it was the way he did everything in class perfectly, and then rolled his eyes at others when they didn't. Maybe it was the way that he had every teacher in the palm of his hand, because he always had the _perfect_ reason for things, the _perfect_ stories to share in class, the _perfect_ comment to add to a discussion, the _perfect_ excuses for being late.

Or, maybe it was the fact that I was the only person in the entire school who seemed to realize how Riddle had successfully manipulated every single person he had met into believing every single word that came out of his mouth. I think he knew that I realized it too, because I often felt his eyes on me in the library, where I sat only a short distance away from him every day.

Riddle was looking put together, as always, in his long school robes with a shiny prefects badge, unlike the dull one that was pinned on me and Zeke's robes. I knew he had stayed in the prefect's compartment this entire time, which made a ripple of anger go through me as I realized he had probably been sucking up to the teachers the whole journey. His dark hair was pushed to the side, and his cold eyes fastened on me as he saw me looking at him.

I had never been able to read through Riddle's eyes. They were the color of mocha, deep and swirling, but they seemed to have a wall up behind them. I had once attempted to use Legilimens on him, but I ran headfirst into a shield, a mental shield, and I had retreated out of his mind immediately.

Yes, I had mastered Legilimency and Occlumency, and I was a registered Animagus, though no one knew about my transformation into a fox except for Aly, Tessa, Zeke, my professors, and my parents. I had always had exceptionally powerful magic, so I had learned as many spells as I could, and mastered as many arts as I could.

Anyways, as I stared into Riddle's cool calculating gaze, I was sure about one thing. Riddle had _definitely_ framed Hagrid. In fact, as I kept staring, I grew more positive that Riddle had probably killed the girl himself.

I scowled at this realization and glared daggers at Riddle, whose eyes widened a fraction of an inch before murmuring, "You all should probably change into your robes" before turning and exiting the hall.

The whole compartment was silent for another moment, before Russell blurted out "God, that guy always gives me the creeps."

"Yeah, but he's sooooo hot," Callie said, throwing her head back against her seat. Aly and Penny murmured agreement, and then Zeke and Ty responded, and soon there was a heated discussion on people's hotness.

However, for the rest of the train ride, I was silent, assessing the way he looked at me, the way he had met my stare, and I knew that Riddle had probably known what I had been thinking. Not through Legilimens, no, but just by looking at my face. He was probably going to consider me an enemy now.

I felt an involuntarily ripple of fear go through me. I knew that I was never going to trust Tom Riddle, no matter what he said.


	4. Chapter 2- Fire and Fear

I felt myself involuntarily smile as I entered the library. It had been a while since I had come here, especially since I had left a month early last year, and with all my prefect duties weighing me down, I had never really had a chance to focus on my homework and prioritize my reading.

I headed towards the back, past the tall shelves of books, and arrived at my usual table. It was tucked away in the back corner of the library, near the restricted section.

However, as I got closer, my smile faltered. I saw a lean figure stretched out in a green armchair, legs crossed and eyes scanning the pages of a book, some advanced Potions book.

Damn. I had completely forgotten that Tom Riddle sat near me. I didn't really remember who had started sitting in this back corner first, but all I knew was that his chair was _extremely_ close to mine. Now, normally, I didn't reeeally mind, and I just tried to ignore him, even though I could often feel his eyes on me, the way you can a spider crawling on your skin, uncomfortable and tense, but I would try my hardest to forget he existed.

However, my feelings towards him were different now. Before I didn't trust him, but now I didn't like him. I didn't want to be near someone who had gotten one of my younger friends expelled. I didn't want to be near someone so snotty and stick up. I didn't want to be near someone who I was scared of.

Still, I tried to calm my racing heart and put my books down, carefully taking a seat, trying to ignore the fact that I knew he was watching me. I let my hair fall forward to shield my face, and started writing out an essay for Herbology, letting a book on healing plants lay open before me.

I almost finished the essay.

Unfortunately, when I was coming to my conclusion, Riddle decided to speak.

"Good summer, Carnell?"

Stunned, I slowly raised my head up to look at him. He was still casually flipping through the pages of his book, but when he lifted his gaze to meet mine, I could see the faintest bit of amusement glittering in his eyes.

I forced myself to answer in a neutral tone. "Mine was good. You?"

"Fine." He spoke casually, so I thought that was the end of it. I turned back to my essay, ready to write out the last line.

 _In conclusion, the Hyperian Violand Plant is the key remedy to-_

 _"_ I trust you've heard that the castle is safe now, so you no longer need to worry." My hand froze.

Ignore him, Melissa, ignore him, I silently chanted.

"Yes, I did," I said, struggling to keep calm. I just have to finish the sentence, I thought. Just a couple more words.

Then Riddle responded.

"Shame, really, how kids so young can turn out to be so evil. I mean, how dark do you have to be to kill someone?" He let out a light chuckle of disbelief and flipped another page of his book, but his words pushed me over the edge.

I abruptly stood up, chucking my quill on the table.

"As a matter of fact, _Riddle_ , I do not believe that Rubeus was the one who killed people. He was one of the kindest, most innocent souls I've ever met, and the fact that you turned him in as the _Heir of Slytherin,_ was one of the foulest things I've ever seen anyone do. Rubeus Hagrid does not have an evil bone in his body, and you must be a horrible, revolting, shameful person to try and frame him. Yes, _Tom,_ I know you framed him. And that is why you disgust me. You loathsome, hideous, _cockroach,_ " I spit at him.

The, gathering up my books, I quickly hurried out of there, my head whirling, my eyes ablaze, not wanting to hear what Riddle had to say about me.

"All right, what's on your mind," Zeke said, interrupting me of my thoughts. We were all seated at the Ravenclaw table for dinner, yet my plate remained untouched. I was still thinking about my confrontation to Riddle, but I didn't want to let anyone know about it.

"Nothing," I muttered, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. Zeke raised an eyebrow.

"Don't give me that. You haven't said a word this entire time. We've been talking about Quidditch, which is one of your favorite things to talk about, seeing how you're Captain _and_ our star Chaser, and yet you haven't piped in." He turned my face towards him, keeping one hand on my cheek, and said in a low voice, "What's going on." I stared into his eyes, which were a dark, Slytherin green, and sighed.

"Nothing, Zeke, I'm just stressed that we've been back for one week and I already have four essays due." He stared at me for a second longer, then let out a breath and dropped his hand. I immediately turned back to my uneaten food, and brought a spoonful of soup to my mouth.

My eyes flicked over to the Slytherin table, and collided with Tom Riddle's. He was staring at Zeke with a look of utmost hatred, but when his eyes met mine, they narrowed to slits. I choked on my soup, and immediately Zeke and Aly were patting my back, crying out in concern.

"I'm fine," I said waving them away with my hands while coughing. "I'm fine." I quickly composed myself, and gave Aly and Zeke a thumbs up and a smile, before looking back at the Slytherin table. Riddle was no longer looking at me, but was deep in conversation with Abraxas Malfoy.

I bit my lip nervously. What if they were talking about me. What if Riddle was mad at what I had said? Well, that's not even a question. He's probably furious. What if he's planning some sort of way to get revenge? He's probably gonna look up any minute now and shoot fire at me with his eyes. Worrying even more and more, my hands started playing with the tablecloth, turning it over and over in my fingers.

Just then, Tom Riddle looked up at me again. My breath caught in my throat, but, determined not to react, I simply glared back at him, using my "fire eyes" as my friends called it.

Tom Riddle smiled.


	5. Chapter 3- Tryouts and Talking

"What am I?" the doorknocker asked me.

"A question," I said simply, entering the common room.

"Damn, I wouldn't have gotten that," Zeke said, bumping his shoulder with mine. I was about to reply when Aly came skipping up to us.

"Lissa! Zeke! Thank god you're here!" I exchanged a glance with Zeke before asking worriedly, "What happened?"

"Oh, it's nothing bad," she said, waving her hand and laughing when she saw our concerned expressions. "It's just that so many lower years have been pestering me as to when Quidditch tryouts are. As if I would know! Anyways, they're all eager little grasshoppers, so you should probably schedule it." She was right. Two weeks of school had already flown by, and I was still _yet_ to hold tryouts.

On the Ravenclaw team, I was captain and a chaser, and Aly was another chaser. Seventh years named Eli Hayes and George Hudson were beaters, and Zeke was our seeker. Our other chaser and our keeper who had been captain had graduated, so we were missing two players from the team.

Zeke and Aly looked at me while I thought about it for a minute. "Tomorrow." I said finally. "We'll have tryouts tomorrow."

Aly gaped at me. "Lissa! We can't have tryouts tomorrow! That's- that's-"

"When it's going to be." I stated firmly. "Tomorrow." Then, I strode away from them, and went over to the Ravenclaw common room's bulletin board. Everybody looked at me as I took a piece of parchment and a quill from a table where first years were working and messily scrawled on it: **_RAVENCLAW QUIDDITCH TRYOUTS TOMORROW. 6 PM. DON'T COME WITHOUT A BROOMSTICK. SECOND YEARS AND ABOVE._**

Muttering a quick 'thank you' to the openmouthed first years, I tacked the paper up on the board, and then went over to Aly and Zeke, who were still standing by the common room entrance.

"Well, that's done," I said in a chirpy voice. "I'm gonna get out of here before the Quidditch team wannabes swarm me." As soon as they nodded, I exited the common room, already hearing some third years calling my name.

I made my way to the library, and to my back table.

Unfortunately, _he_ was there. I froze, and as if sensing me, he looked up.

For once, Tom Riddle wasn't wearing a smirk. His eyes weren't cold. He looked at me like a normal person would, eyes soft vulnerable, mouth straight. He was playing with a ring on his ginger, in a sort of anxious way. I took a deep breath and walked over.

"Riddle," I began, unsure of where to begin. Gods, what did he have on me to make me feel like this. I was sort of scared around him, but didn't want to have to avoid him.

Riddle looked at me, his face calm. He wasn't doing anything obnoxious yet.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," I said, not meeting his eyes. "I shouldn't have said those things to you, it was inexcusable. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be in Hogwarts, my home, right now. So, sorry." I heard him let out a breath, and I looked up.

He pressed his lips together, and the spoke. "Carnell, although your words took me by shock, I understand that they came from the anger of losing one of your younger friends. I'm sorry if I did anything to provoke your reaction, and I hope you accept my sympathy for having Hagrid expelled."

Hold up. Did Tom Riddle just _apologize_?

I stared at him, gaping, and then he did something even weirder. He shot me a smile, like he had done in the Great Hall, one without any malice or sarcasm in it, one where his lips turned up at the corners and my heart sped up. For a minute, I saw what all the other girls saw in him.

Stop it, Melissa, I chided myself.

I carefully took a seat and his smile seemed to grow. Then, he held something out to me. An essay.

"I can't help but notice that you always get O's on all of your essays and I was hoping you could read mine for me and give me some criticism." He nodded towards his essay, and I took it, a bit bewildered. I didn't realize he noticed my grades.

I leaned back in my chair to read it and I noticed he did the same, picking up one of his many books, _Ancient Magic_ , and for once, I felt sort of relaxed with him being there. I scanned through his writing, reading it in his voice, with his clipped sentence and matter of fact voice.

"You repeat this point too much," I pointed out, and Riddle looked up at me, leaning forward to see what I was gesturing to.

For the remaining hour, we made idle conversation, after I had pointed out his flaws in his essay, about some of our classes, our teachers, our houses, and the books we read. When I left the library, I found myself grinning.

I had actually talked to Tom Riddle. He had talked to _me._ And it was a normal conversation. I still didn't trust him, but at least I wasn't scared of him. Well, _that_ scared.


	6. Chapter 4- Burning and Beater's Bats

I was tense.

Around me, my team was watching me, their faces serious.

My heart was pounding.

Everyone was waiting for me to say something.

They didn't understand.

I was known throughout the school as Lissa Carnell, the star chaser who was wicked good at magic and is super nice and super smart and- well, I hope that's the impression people get. I know that that's what a lot of the younger kids think.

But here's the thing, I'm not actually all that great. The magic thing is weird, the "star chaser" is from lots of practice, the niceness is hard to keep up, and, well you get the point.

If we lose today, I won't just have let the team down, or the house down, or myself down, but I would have let every single person who looked up to me down.

My team was still staring at me.

Outside the tent, I heard Tyler speaking into a microphone, so I knew we were about to go out. I suddenly slung an arm around Zeke and Aly, and leaned in towards the rest of the team.

"Listen guys," I said slowly, looking at each and every one of my teammates. There was Aly, our toughest and strongest player, there was George and Eli, who worked so well together I was surprised they weren't related, there was newbie Collin Dawes, our third year Keeper who, if he did well today, would be greatly admired in his year. There was our new Chaser, Sara Ellis, who was a sharp fourth year who picked up on everyone's cues and worked great with Aly and I, and then there was Zeke. Zeke, the only person who truly understood how I was feeling. The best Seeker, I thought, in Hogwarts right now.

"You are going to go out there, and completely _demolish_ those Slytherins, with the force of your Bludgers, with the accuracy you throw the Quaffle, with the speed you catch the Snitch." I looked at Collin. "Those hoops symbolize Ravenclaw. Defend them." He nodded grimly in understanding. I looked back at our huddle. "They think Ravenclaw's all about books and studying. Well, prove that we're more than that. We're smart, yes, but we're also strong, speedy, sharp. Let's fly those Slytherin bastards into the ground."

Suddenly, there came a large cheer from outside the tent, and I heard Tyler announce "the Ravenclaw team!"

I led my team out of the tent, shoulders back, head up, chin high. I walked across the field, over to the Slytherin captain, Edward Flint, who gave me a wicked grin and crushed my hand when we shook it. I shrugged it off, a sore hand won't matter once we beat them.

"Mount your brooms!" Madame Glade shouted. I got onto my broomstick, the Nimbus 703, and waited for the whistle.

WHEEEEEWTTT!

I kicked up, feeling the wind blow my hair around me, as I took off after the Quaffle, which had been thrown up into the air. As I zoomed forward and grabbed the rough ball, I suddenly felt the change in me.

As if my blood was on fire.

The rest of the game was like a blur. I would snatch the Quaffle out of the air, and soar downwards and then shoot upwards, scoring and passing like crazy. The only things that I would hear were Tyler's words- "Ravenclaw scores!", "Ravenclaw scores!", "Ravenclaw scores!" I didn't pay attention to what the score actually _was,_ but I just focused on the game. I would see out of the corner of my eye George and Eli whacking Bludgers, and the _thud, thud, thud_ that would follow let me know it hit its mark. I saw Zeke circling up above like a hawk, searching for his golden prey. I could also see Collin successfully saving most of the goals Slytherin would make, sometimes with the tail of his broomstick, sometimes with his head.

I just focused on the _thump, thump, thump_ that came from my heart, the fire running throughly veins, and played all out. Sometimes, I would just use my intuition. I would spiral downwards while people screamed in concern only for someone to drop the Quaffle and me to swoop upwards and yank it out of the sky. I passed the Quaffle to Aly, who would lob it through the air and score, or to Sara, who would dodge in and out of oncoming Slytherin players and pass it back to me, so that I could score.

We played one of the best games of our lives.

Towards the end, I was flying towards the Slytherin goal, Quaffle clutched securely in my hand, when I felt a _whoosh_ go by me. I half looked and saw Zeke catapulting towards the ground. Facing forwards, I hurled the Quaffle at the left hoop just as a giant cheer came from the Ravenclaw section of the bleachers. I looked over and saw Zeke pulling out of the dive, the Snitch clasped firmly in his hand. I screamed in joy just as Tyler's voice boomed across the field.

"RAVENCLAW CHASER MELISSA CARNELL SCORES JUST AS ZEKE FORESTER CATCHES THE SNITCH! RAVENCLAW WINS, 270-30!"

Each and every one of my teammates rammed into Zeke, cheering, but I stayed where I was, feeling tears of joy well up in my eyes. I raised my fist in the air and saw all of Ravenclaw raise theirs, jumping up and down, screaming.

Suddenly, I heard Tyler, still on the microphone, scream "LISSA LOOK OUT!" I turned, only to see a rage struck Flint hurl something at me- his Beater's bat.

Suddenly, everything went black, and the air rose up around me as my broomstick disappeared from under me. The last thing I remembered was a masculine cry of alarm, a cry that stood out to me from all of the other screams.

 **Short chapter, I know, but I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think down below! ;)**

 ** _Calliope Brown_**


	7. Chapter 5- Hospitals and Healing

Why couldn't I open my eyes? Why was it so dark? I tried to scream for help, scream out loud, but I couldn't. Panicked, I started to thrash around.

"What's happening to her?" I heard a voice cry out in concern.

"Lissa? Lissa? Lissa, can you hear me?"

"Lissa, please wake up!"

"Lissa, you're fine, you're fine, you're okay."

Suddenly, I felt my mouth being opened and some cold liquidy stuff being shoved in it.

My eyes felt as if there were leads holding them shut.

I struggled to open them.

Blink. Blink. Blink.

They finally opened, and I gasped as the sunlight hit my eyes. I heard someone near me get up and draw the curtains.

SSSHHHHH!

I winced and covered my face with my hands. My body hurt, my head hurt, my stomach hurt, my heart hurt, my, my, my everything hurt. I felt something heavy sink down near my feet, as if someone had sat down.

"Carnell?" A soft, clipped voice said my name. Slowly, inch by inch, I removed my hand from my face.

"Riddle?" I asked, shocked. He was sitting at the foot of my bed, and he looked _awful_. His hair was messily ruffled, he had dark circles under his eyes, and his skin was paler than usual, and that's saying something.

He swallowed, still looking at me. "How are- How are you feeling?" It took a moment for his question to register, and it took me a moment to respond.

"Well, it feels like I crashed into a wall at top speed, and broke every single bone in my body." I tried to laugh, but it came out more like a dry heave. Riddle looked over in alarm, but when he saw that I was okay, he leaned back and let out sort of a chuckle.

"Close. You didn't crash into a wall, though." He went back to cool, composed, Tom Riddle as he stared at me, and I felt my mouth go dry.

"You mean-"

"You fell off your broomstick from an altitude of eighteen meters (sixty feet for all of you US folk ;D ) after Edward Flint threw his beater's bat at you and crashed into the ground right as a collection of people cast _Aresto Momentum_ , including myself, your friends, your team, some Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, and Gryffindors, most of your house, the professors, and the headmaster himself. However, although we all cast the spell, it hit you a second too late, meaning you should be dead." Tom said all of this in his annoyingly calm, matter of fact voice.

I stared at him with my eyes wide open.

"Wha- wha- what do you mean?" I half whispered, feeling like I was either going to break down or throw up. "I-" Riddle held up his hand to stop me.

"Everyone thinks it's some sort of miracle, but I know the truth. If you want to know how you survived, I'd suggest you read the book I brought you." He gestured to my side table, which was overflowing with candy, chocolates, flowers, and Get-Well cards. I could see the spine of a deep blue book sticking out from under it all.

I let out a breath and shifted slightly, feeling uncomfortable, and decided to drop the subject. I settled for another question.

"How come you're here?"

Riddle looked slightly uncomfortable, but he plastered on a neutral face as he responded.

"Well, if I wasn't mistaken, I had taken our daily chats in the library as a sign of our-dare I say it- friendship. And, if I'm not mistaken, friends come and visit each other in the Hospital Wing when the other is injured." He looked at me, as if for confirmation, and I nodded slightly. He continued.

"Anyways, you weren't supposed to wake up for another week, at the least, but I knew that you would be waking up sometime today. And-" I had opened my mouth to speak. "-before you ask how I knew, read the book." I glared at him and crossed my arms.

Riddle then leaned forward and grabbed my hand. I stared at him, wondering what the hell he was doing, when he felt my pulse. He smiled grimly. "Just as I thought."

"What?" I asked, alert. I immediately tried to sit upright, but Riddle gently pushed me back down.

"Your body has exerted itself in trying to heal you and keep you awake. Your heartbeat is slowing down now, so I'm going to guess that you're going to pass out in about three, two, one.." All of a sudden, I felt myself grow weary, and my eyes started to close.

"Wait, Riddle," I tried to say, but he just laughed and tucked the blanket around my shoulders in an almost affectionate gesture.

"Don't try to fight it, Carnell, just go to sleep. And when you wake up, read the book."

"Tom, I-"

"And don't worry about Flint. He won't be bothering you again."

His voice was the last thing I heard before my mind drifted off, to another, quieter, place.

"Oh my gosh, she's waking up!"

"Quiet! Don't jinx it."

"Melissa, hun, can you hear me?"

"Lissa, wake up!"

"Shut up, you can't command her to wake up, doofus!"

"Why not? Look, her eyes are opening!"

"Everybody, be quiet!"

My eyes opened, and I shrieked as I saw several faces huddled over me.

"Oh my god!" Aly cried, shoving everybody back. "Give her space, guys!" I blinked, trying to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Alyssa, Tessa, Zeke, Duncan, and my other friends were standing around my bed, but so were about twenty other people. I saw Collin and Sara, George and Eli, and some random first years, all cluttering around me, and I just felt slightly bewildered as to why there were so many people here.

Everyone immediately started hugging me, or crying, or asking me how I was feeling. I just lay there, stunned into silence, and them I heard the shrieking voice of the nurse screaming at everybody to "Get out!" and "Leave the poor girl alone!" Nobody really moved, and I could hear Tyler trying to persuade the nurse to let them all stay to "welcome Melissa back to the real world."

My eyes scanned over all the people, wondering why I was feeling so strange, when it hit me- Riddle wasn't here. I wanted to open my mouth to ask why, when I realized that none of my friends knew about my strange friendship with him. I tried to tell my mind not to dwell on it too much, but unfortunately, it did. I kept replaying his last few sentences over and over in my head. _'Read the book. Read the book. Don't worry about Flint. Read the book. He won't be bothering you again. Read the book.'_

My eyes flicked over to my piles of candy and flowers, but that wasn't what I was looking for. I saw the book, the deep blue book, and I instinctively leaned towards it, trying to read the title.

Ironically, despite the number of people crowded around my bed, none of them seemed to notice what I was looking at since they were all trying not to be kicked out my the nurse.

I stretched my hand out to turn the book's spine towards me, and my breath caught in my throat when I saw the title. It was the book Riddle had been reading the first time we had met.

 _Ancient Magic._


	8. Chapter 6- Secrets and Sorcery

It was now officially November. I had gotten out of the hospital wing, and my friends had refused to leave me alone for a minute. It was touching, in a way, that they truly cared for me so much, but it was also mildly irritating. I hadn't gotten a chance to speak to Riddle or read _Ancient Magic_. However, one day, we were in Potions with the Slytherins, which was a class that I excelled in.

Today, Slughorn had asked us to make a Wit Sharpening potion. Having already cut up and measured all my ingredients, I quickly tossed them into my cauldron in the correct order and _Voila!_ I was the second one done. The first, of course, was Riddle.

When Slughorn came over to me and looked at my potion, he beamed.

"Excellent work, Ms. Carnell! I am pleased to see that your time in the Hospital Wing did not affect your talent. Since you and Tom have finished a good half hour earlier than the end of this class, why don't I let you to out of class early? You're only wasting your time if you stay in here." He smiled at me as I exchanged a surprised look with Riddle, before he walked over to check on Jordan's cauldron.

I immediately gathered up my books and my left over ingredients and made my way over to the door. I saw Penny shoot me an envious glance and heard Aly hiss "Lucky duck!" while I simply smirked teasingly at them. As I left the classroom, I wondered about where I should go with 'all this freedom.'

"Carnell," I heard Riddle say from behind me. I whirled around to be met with his smirking figure. I crossed my arms and raised my eyebrows.

"Yes, _Riddle_?" He scoffed at my childlike pose and walked up to me.

"I was simply inquiring whether or not you would want to spend this free time in the library with me, perhaps reading _the book_." He dropped his voice to a whisper towards the end of the sentence. I stared at him, my excitement level rising, before bolting down the hall. I heard him laugh behind me at my reaction towards reading the book, and then I heard his hurried footsteps echo after me.

We made our way into the library together, all the way to the back, where we plopped down into our respective spots. I immediately dug through my bag, all the way to the bottom since I had an Undetectable Extension Charm on it, and pulled out _Ancient Magic_.

It was old, rough, and faded, but its deep blue color was still mesmerizing to look at. Tom watched me behind his own book, his dark eyes twinkling, as I eagerly opened the book and began to read.

We stayed that way for an hour, way past our Potions class had ended. I knew my friends were probably looking for me, but seeing how it was soon going to be dinner, I decided to meet up with them then.

The book was all about different types of magic, besides normal wizardry. there was elf magic, goblin magic, dark magic, plant magic, and werewolf and vampire magic. I was enchanted by the book, but I didn't understand why it Riddle had given it to me. Until I came upon a certain section.

 _Sorcery,_ it read, _is the magic that only descendants of Rowena Ravenclaw possess. Rowena once created a potion with the last of a certain plant, which gave her an unusual type of magic. It gave her many rare wandless powers, such as healing, telekinesis, and an abundance of magic._

I stared at the book, not wanting to believe it. No. Way. I kept reading, tearing through the pages, trying to dig up as much information as possible.

 _A sorceress is basically invincible, once trained, and will be able to perform wandless magic without any effort at all. However, an untrained sorceress's magic has a limit, and will have to take rest between large exertions of power. A sorceress's magic can be recognized by a flash of purple, not only in whatever magic that they had cast, but also in their eyes._

I was shocked. I was a sorceress. I could be invincible. I could heal myself. If I trained, I could use telekinesis. And... my eyes could turn purple?

I was so lost in thought that I didn't hear Riddle call my name until the fourth time.

"CARNELL." I snapped out of my daze to face an irritated Riddle.

"Yes?" I said, cool as a cucumber. Not.

Riddle didn't respond and simply smirked as he took in my awestruck face and my shaking hands. I slowly set the book down and stood up, turning to face him.

"HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME I WAS A SORCERESS?" I exploded, waving my hands in the air wildly.

Riddle looked amused as he murmured, "Yelling at me again?"

"DON'T EVEN START WITH ME, TOM RIDDLE." I said, glaring at him. I was a sorceress. I was a sorceress. This changed everything. I was a sorceress.

Suddenly, feeling overwhelmed, I sat down, staring at the wall in front of me.

"Carnell?" I heard Riddle ask worriedly. When I didn't respond, he took the seat across from me, staring into my eyes with a look of concern.

"Look, Carnell, I get that you might be... upset?" He seemed to be struggling with what to say, so I leaned over and put my hand on his. He froze.

"Riddle, I'm not upset. It's just, well, I'm a sorceress. And a descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw. And-" I waved my free hand around in the air, and he half nodded to show me that he got the point. He was still staring at our hands.

Hastily pulling my arm back, I took a deep breath. Riddle finally looked up, and shot me a half smirk. I narrowed my eyes.

"What?" I asked suspiciously. He leaned back in his chair. "What, Riddle? I know you're thinking of something."

He let out a laugh under his breath and leaned forward, until we were just a couple of inches away. If I had leaned forward, I could've- uhhh, banged foreheads with him.

"I'm just thinking of how _powerful_ you're gonna be once you're trained up."

 **Enjoy! And review!**

 ** _Calliope Brown_**


	9. Chapter 7-Improvements & Interrogations

The ring lifted off the ground, one meter, two meters, three meters, before dropping to the ground.

I gasped and let out a squeal of delight as Tom simple smirked next to me.

"I knew you could do it," he said, pushing himself off the wall upon which he had been leaning. I waited for more praise, but after picking up and pocketing his ring he just looked out of the door of our abandoned classroom and them looked back at me.

"We ought to be going if we want to eat lunch." He swiftly walked out of the door, and after a minute at gaping after him, I followed him.

"Tom!" I whisper screamed, not wanting to draw attention to myself. Tom simply looked back at me and raised an eyebrow. I caught up to him and glared. "I just lifted something- with my _mind_! Don't you have something better to say than 'I knew you could do it'?" He just shook his head, looking amused, as we turned into the Great Hall.

"Melissa, your powers fascinates me, but you will never get one of those 'Oh my god you are the most amazing person ever!' reactions that your friends give you." He laughed at my frustrated expression as we walked by our tables.

"Tom, honestly-"

"See you tomorrow?" He inquired, stopping by the Ravenclaw table. I let out a sigh and pushed a curl out of my face.

"Tomorrow." He nodded, pleased, and then walked towards his table, looking back only once to wink at me. Shaking my head in disbelief, I made my way over to where my friends were sitting, placing my bag on the ground.

"Were you with Riddle again?" Callie asks me curiously. Nodding slightly, I plopped down in my usual seat, with Aly on my right and Zeke on my left. At least half of my friends frowned, or looked suspicious.

"Are oo guys like, best buhs now or sumfing?" Russell inquired around a mouthful of foods. I shot him a look of disgust, and sighed.

"No, calm down, he's just been, um- helping me with some things." Penny's mouth dropped open. I immediately regretted my word choice.

"WHA-"

"No, no, no, not like that, some spell stuff," I hastily said, trying to calm her down. Aly gave me a suspicious look.

"What happened to not trusting him?"

"Well-"

"And never being friends with a Slytherin?"

"I mean-"

"And not believing 'a single word that came out of his slimy Slytherin mouth'?" she quoted me.

"Aly-"

"And," Tessa piped in. "What happened to not falling for his heroic story from last year?"

"Well, it's not about-"

"What about how absolutely disgusting he is?" Zeke added, raising his eyebrows.

"Zeke, don't start-"

"Aaand, how about when you said that if you ever got along with a Slytherin, you were probably under the Imperius Curse," Aly said, staring at me. I faltered.

"When did I say that?" Aly shrugged.

"It was a while ago."

I took a deep breath. "Look, guys, I know I've always harbored a hatred for Slytherins, and I _grew_ _up_ in a pureblood household where a lot of Slytherin beliefs were upheld, but Tom and I-"

"TOM?" Aly shrieked, causing a lot of people to look our way. I frantically shushed her, not wanting others to eavesdrop. "You call him by his _first name_?"

"I thought calling him by his first name was like Taboo," Penny mused quietly, while Duncan nodded. (AN: See what I did there, with the Taboo name XD. Ok nvm, back to the story ;D )

I shook my head at the way they were acting.

"Calling him Riddle got kind of weird, so I just started saying Tom," I admitted. " _Anyways_ , we just started talking in the library, and he knew a lot of stuff about different types of spells and stuff, so he just started talking to me about it, and I thought it was pretty cool-" They were all staring at me like I had grown another head. "-And before long, we just kinda became friends. It doesn't mean that I completely trust him, or ever will, it doesn't mean that I like every single Slytherin, but it does mean that you're going to see me talking to Tom more." Ty pretended to pass out at that, and I rolled my eyes.

"Well," Penny started, and I tensed up. "Can you introduce me to Malfoy, then? He's-"*dramatic sigh* "soooo hot."

I laughed, loving Penny at the moment, and responded "Sure, why not?" She beamed at me, and I knew that she would support me no matter what. Callie, however, leaned across the table, and spoke to me in a hushed tone.

"Do you like him?" I drew back, confused.

"What?" Callie, smirked, and arched an eyebrow.

"Do. You. Like. Him. As. More. Than. A. Friend?" She stared pointedly at me, and suddenly, I remembered her crush on Tom.

"Oh, no, Callie, don't worry I'd never-" She brushed my protests away.

"Oh Lissa, I only think he's attractive. I would never go further than a _one night stand_ with him." I gaped, as she continued. "But, what I want to know, is if _you_ are attracted to him, since you've been spending so much time with him."

I felt as if I had swallowed something heavy. Did I like Tom? After what he did to Rubeus? After he successfully wrapped everyone in this school around his pinky finger? Did I like Tom?

"No," I said finally, in a solemn tone, although my heart was racing. "No, Callie, I'm not attracted to him in the slightest."

Zeke let out a breath next to me, and I turned towards him, confused.

"Later," he said quietly, and I nodded.

"Now, is this _interrogation_ over?" I asked everyone. Aly leaned back and stared at Tessa, who looked towards me and smiled.

"Yeah," she said, leaning over to squeeze my hand. "You know that we're all just looking out for you, right?"

I looked around at the people surrounding me. Aly, Tess, the twins, Connie, Zeke, the other guys, all people who I cared about, and who cared about me.

I smiled, a real, genuine, smile. "Yeah, I know."


	10. Chapter 8- Discussions and Dates

"Melissa, look out!" I snapped to attention just as my owl, Silver, dropped a letter in my cereal. I stared at it with a grim look on my face as Zeke reached for it and held it up by a corner, while it slowly dripped milk into my bowl.

"Thanks Zeke." I shot him a grateful smile as I opened it, hoping that the letter wasn't ruined.

"Hey, I got one too!" Duncan exclaimed, just as I managed to pry the letter out from the soaking envelope. The words had blurred together, but I could still make out what it said.

 ** _Prof. Horace Slughorn's Annual Christmas Party_**

 ** _Date: December 21_**

 ** _Time: 7:00-11:30 pm_**

The rest of the letter was impossible to make out. I squinted at it, but it was a lost cause.

"Hey, Dunc," I asked, looking over at him. He looked up, slightly bewildered.

"I, I actually got in, into Slug Club." He didn't seem to know whether to be happy or sad about it. Penny leaned over and snatched it out of his hand, but Duncan made no attempt to give it back.

"What's it say at the bottom?" I asked. Duncan opened his mouth, but Penny started talking first.

"It says that you require a date, and that the dress code is formal." She looked up at me and smirked. "Oooh, Lissy, you need a da-a-ate!"

I felt my cheeks turn red, but I shook my head. "I'm sure he doesn't require it-"

"Oh yes, he does." Penny interrupted, shoving Duncan's letter in my face. I scanned over it, to the bottom, where it said:

 **DATES ARE REQUIRED.**

"Damn," I said, looking up.

"Hey, at least you got in," said Tessa, looking at my letter longingly. "I've been trying to get him to notice me all year, hoping to be invited."

"Aw, it's okay Tess," Aly said, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Just flirt with some smart guys, and then they'll invite you as their date." Callie laughed, but Tessa just looked at her wondrously.

"Does that actually work?"

Aly grinned wickedly and then turned to me.

"Next Hogsmeade trip, we're going dress shopping." I just managed to nod before she got up and walked over to a group of seventh year boys, all who were holding an invitation. I saw her smile and say something to them, which made one of them scooch over to make room for her.

In front of me, Jordan shook his head in disbelief. "That girl-"

I noticed that Ty was shooting those seventh years looks filled with malice. Hiding my smile, I turned back to my cereal.

Picking up my pace, I turned into the library, hoping to avoid running into anyone else.

All week, random boys had been coming up to me, asking me if I would accompany them to Slughorn's party. Half of these requests had been ludicrous, from itty bitty second years to Slytherin sixth years such as Lestrange and Goyle. Eli had asked me too, but I turned him down nicely and turned him towards Tessa, but George ended up asking her. Eli then asked Aly, which meant both of my best friends were going, which I was excited about.

Not paying attention to where I was going, I crashed straight into someone and fell backwards on my butt.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" a familiar voice exclaimed.

"Zeke?" I asked, clasping his outstretched handing and standing up.

"Lissa, oh my god I didn't see you there, I swear!" He sounded panicked, but I grinned to show him it wasn't a big deal.

"It's fine, I wasn't watching where I was going. Anyways, what are you doing here? In the library? I wasn't aware you knew this place existed!"

He scoffed, causing me to giggle. "Hardy har har, very funny. Actually, I was looking for a book for my potions essay." I raised an eyebrow.

"Hoping to get into Sluggy's good books, are we?" He blushed, stammering a bit. "Let me guess, you want to be invited to his next party." Zeke drew in a breath and ran his hand through his hair nervously.

"Well, yeah, I guess. I mean, I felt kinda left out when you and Dunc were talking about the party, and it's not like I'm going to be invited as anyone's date, assuming that you already have one..." he trailed off, looking sheepish, but I looked at him kindly. Zeke was my best male friend. he knew that. So why was he acting so nervous?

"Zeke, if you want to go to the party, then you should come as my date!" His eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Of course," I exclaimed, smiling widely. "I was looking for one anyways, someone who isn't annoying or obnoxious, and actually has some social manners."

He smirked. "No promises." Laughing, I leaned forward and hugged him. I felt him tense up, which was a bit weird, but I didn't really think too much about it.

"Anyways, I have to go work on _my own_ Potions essay, so I'll see you later," I said drawing back. Zeke grinned and nodded, so I made my way past him, to my usual corner, to where Tom was waiting for me.

Zeke's POV

She asked me! She asked me! She actually asked me! Well, it was more of a statement, but still, I never thought she'd actually invite me as her date!

My heart was beating so loud when we talked, I was surprised she didn't hear it. I didn't mean to imply that I wanted to be her date, but she took it as her cue, and now, and now I'm her date to the party!

Anyways, it's about time. I've liked Melissa since first year, when we met on the train ride. She was so full of energy, like a spark, and she seemed to light up when she smiled or laughed.

We became best friends really quickly, and I loved every moment I spent with her. She was one of the wisest, kindest, most powerful people I have ever met. She was also the most beautiful girl at Hogwarts, with her wavy brown locks and turquoise eyes.

The only problem was that she didn't seem to reciprocate my feelings. She joined the Quidditch team, and sent so much time with the older boys, but ever since most of them graduated, I thought maybe we'd grow closer. However, lately she'd been spending time with Riddle. Riddle. That slimy little Slytherin had the nerve to spend time with _my girl!_ Lissa says there's nothing between them, but I've seen the way he looks at her.

However, me being her date. This changes things. I know it. I finally have my chance with her.

As for Riddle, he'll just have to figure out a way to deal with heartbreak. Well, if snakes even have hearts.


	11. Chapter 9- Rants and Rejections

I was smiling as I approached the back table, even though I wasn't really sure why.

Maybe it was the fact that I wouldn't have to scry for a date now. Or maybe it was how happy Zeke had seemed when I had asked him.

Either way, I was in an exceptionally good mood.

Tom seemed to pick up on it.

"You look like someone just gave you fifty packs of Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans."

I laughed, seating myself at my table. "How'd you know that was my favorite candy?" He smiled at my cheerfulness.

"You mentioned it once."

I ran a finger through my wavy hair and pulled out a piece of parchment to write my essay on. Tom, however, leaned towards me, resting his elbows on the armrests of his chair.

"Say, Carnell," he began slowly. I looked up, alert. He only called me by my last name when he was about to say something serious. "I heard that you got invited to Professor Swughorn's Christmas party-" He looked at me for confirmation, and I slowly nodded, wondering where he was going with this. He smirked. "As it so happened, I _also_ received an invitation."

I grinned. "Cool! That means we'll see each other there." He pursed his lips and lightly drummed his fingers on his knees.

"Carnell, you're aware that we are required to bring a date, right?" I let out an annoyed sigh.

"I'm well aware of that fact. Soooo many people have come up to me and asked me to accompany them. Younger boys, older boys, boys I don't know. Even some Slytherins have asked me! People such as Lestrange, and, and Goyle, they've all asked me to be their date! As if I would go with one of them. I would never be caught dead accompanying some stuck up, spoiled, pureblood Slytherin!"

I finished my rant by throwing my hands up in the air, and then leaned backwards in my chair. I noticed that Tom seemed frozen in place, and was giving me an odd sort of look.

"What?" I asked him, self consciousness creeping into my voice. He shook his head, looking slightly disappointed.

"Nothing," he murmured, his voice so low I could barely hear it. "It's just, if I had realized how low your opinions of Slytherins were, I wouldn't have even thought about asking you right now."

I was shocked. I was- at a complete loss for words. Struggling to focus, I stared at Tom's solemn voice, and swallowed hard.

"Tom-" I began, my voice soft. "It's, it's not like that, I just-"

"Just what? You calling me spoiled and pureblood when I am a halfblood who grew up in an orphanage?" he asked, his voice bitter. My mouth went dry as I tried my hardest not to fall at his feet and apologize.

I tried to explain. "Tom, I'm so, so sorry, it's just that, well, I grew up in a family where the only person who wasn't a Slytherin was my mother. Everyone, all of my grandparents, all of my cousins, _everyone_ , drilled Slytherin beliefs into my head. And then I came here, and, and I realized, that the world isn't what they made it seem like. Muggleborns aren't filth, money isn't everything, knowledge _is_ valued." I took a pause for breath, while Tom looked at me intently.

"I slowly just began to despise a lot of the cockier, more arrogant Slytherins. And you, I saw through your perfect facade. I saw that you spun stories, and your Slytherin friends always backed you up, and so, I just sorta stopped trusting all of you guys." Tom made a disbelieving noise in the back of his throat, and I smiled slightly.

"But now, now we're friends, but that doesn't mean I'm friends with _your_ friends, and-" I started babbling, until Tom held up a finger for me to stop.

"All right, point taken." I let out a sigh of relief, but then he continued. "But-" My head shot up. "Does that mean you'll go to the party with me?"

I shot him a look of regret, and his shoulders seemed to droop. "Tom, I- I already said yes to, um, Zeke, and I can't really-"

"I understand," he said, cutting me off. "It is what it is." He shot me a forced smile, and I fell silent, staring at my essay.

After a moment of awkward silence, he changed the topic, but I could tell that he was upset, which made me feel bad for some reason.

 _You've known Zeke longer,_ I kept telling myself over and over. _He's your best friend_. It made logical sense for me to go with Zeke, seeing he had asked me first.

But then why was a part of me so intent on pulling me towards Tom?


	12. Chatper 10- Winter and Warnings

Gales of wind blew in my face, making me feel as if my face was frozen.

"It's so co-o-o-o-ld," Aly said, her teeth chattering. I just wrapped my Ravenclaw scarf tighter around my neck, hoping I wouldn't catch hypothermia. Beside me, Tessa pulled her white beanie lower over her ears, a look of pain crossing her face.

Usually, I loved the trips to Hogsmeade, but today, the weather seemed to be trying to kill us, dark clouds covering the sky, gusts of wind blowing angrily, hail whipping in our faces.

"In here!" Penny suddenly shouted, grabbing my arm and yanking me into a small shop. Surprised, I trailed behind her, the others following behind us as I pushed open the door. A little bell rang, signaling the shopkeeper over to us.

"Hello!" she exclaimed, smiling. "You lot must be freezing! Come in, come in, come around by the fire!" She was a short woman in a long, grey robe who didn't stop smiling as she urged us towards a central fireplace, burning brightly and cozily.

While we all shuffled towards it, I took a minute to take in our surroundings. It was a small shop, with a low roof and narrow paths, but the whole place gave off a very, antique, sort of look. Mannequins were standing all over the store, with a variety of fabric strewn all over the place. Mirrors were placed against every wall, and I could see about thirty different "me's" all over the store. My hair was sticking to my flushed face, and I hastily ran my fingers through it in order to look presentable. There were also a variety of magical thread, needles, scissors, and pincushions. Enchanted tape measures came by us, uncurling to measure our heights. One wrapped around Tessa's waist, and she shrieked, startled.

"Oh, darling, there's no need to worry!" The woman said, chuckling. "They're not going to harm you, they're just taking measurements for your dresses!" Tessa looked up, confused.

"My- dress?" The woman's eyes widened.

"Why, of course! That _is_ why you're here, isn't it?" The shopkeeper turned to Penny, as if asking for confirmation.

Penny nodded, smiling. "Of course, Loranne! You see, my three friends here, Tessa, Aly, and Melissa-" She pointed to each one of us. "-Are in need of a dress for a formal Christmas party"

Lorna gleefully clapped her hands together and looked each of us over. "Oh, well if it isn't my lucky day! Three gorgeous girls, all in need of dresses! I insist on creating one for each of you, from scrap!" Tessa, Aly, and I lightly protested, but anyone could tell that we were intrigued.

Loranne waved off our objections. She leaned forward and took Aly by the arm, and started pulling her towards a small door in the corner.

"I shall get started right away! Please, while you wait, take a look around the shop. If you see anything you like, and I mean _anything_ , feel free to let me know. Penelope, if your friends show interest in anything, tell me, so I can add it to their dresses." Shooting me and Tessa a wink, she disappeared with Aly into the room, shutting the door behind her.

We had bumbled around the store for about half an hour. Aly had come out of the room beaming, while carrying a white silk bag. We all begged her to give us a peek, but she adamantly refused to, saying she would show us the day of Slughorn's party. Tessa had disappeared inside with Loranne, and I eagerly awaited my turn.

Suddenly, while running my hands over a collection of velvets, I heard Tessa's light laughter come from behind me. Whirling around, I saw her emerge from the room, chatting merrily with Loranne, holding a similar bag as Aly. She caught my glance and shot me a large thumbs up, mouthing ' _She's amazing.'_

 _"_ Ooh, Tessa, let us see!" Callie exclaimed from beside me, dropping the piece of velvet we had both been admiring and rushing over to Tessa. Tessa, however, firmly shook her head and stated "You'll just have to wait and see." Callie stopped in her tracks and gaped. Tessa, keeping something secret? It was unheard of.

"O-okay," she stammered, obviously taken aback. Tessa walked by me and nudged my shoulder.

"You're gonna love whatever she makes," she whispered, and my elation grew.

"Really?" I asked, staring at her. She nodded, and gave me a light push towards Loranne, who was waiting by the door. I hesitantly followed her into the room, which just turned out to be a small dressing room completely covered in mirrors.

"All right, are you ready?" Loranne asked me, and I nodded, waiting to see what she did. She took out her wand and waved it over my body, muttering some sort of spell. Immediately, some sort of plain white dress appeared over my body, replacing my old clothes.

"This, doll, is the base," Loranne explained, while coming up to me and turning me to face the largest mirror. I internally cringed when I saw myself. My hair was tangled and wet, sticking to my cheeks, which were pink from the cold. My eyelashes seemed to have icicles forming on it, and my lips were dry and chapped. The white dress looked awfully out of place on me, but Loranne smiled at the reflection a declared me a beauty.

"Now," she exclaimed. "Let us start." Then, holding her wand above her head, she slowly started circling me, never blinking, I gasped as I felt the dress tighten over my chest, and start to expand in the bottom. The skirt flared out turning a light shade of grey, as my neckline plunged and turned a sparkly shade of silver. I stared in shock at the mirror as patterns began weaving themselves into the top part of my dress. A white ribbon appeared out of nowhere and fastened itself around my waist, tying itself in a bow. Suddenly, my appearance began to change too. My hair smoothened out, as if it was brushed, and had a slight bounce in its curls. My face was no longer flushed, and my eyes were rimmed in brown and my lips were a light pink. My nails had grown out and were painted grey, and silver heels replaced my boots that I had been wearing.

I was stunned as the whole dress seemed to ripple with light, as if was made completely of sequins, even though it was just satin.

"So," Loranne said, staring at my awestruck face. "What do you think?" I tried to come up with a response, but my mind went blank. All I could say was some kind of incomprehensible murmur of "Wow." Loranne just laughed.

"That's the exact answer I was looking for. Suddenly, waving her wand, I was back in my normal clothes. I let out a cry of alarm, but Loranne simply held up a white bag, similar to my friends. I tugged open one of the strings, and caught a flash of silver inside.

I smiled, and Loranne handed it over to me, pinching my cheek.

"Keep it out of water, fire, and poison," she instructed me firmly. I nodded quickly, and she reached around me to open the door.

I stepped out, meeting the gazes of all my friends, who seemed to be engaged in some sort of mock debate. They instantly turned to me, a question written clearly across their faces. I shared a glance with Tessa and Aly, and shook my head.

"Not today, you'll just have to wait till the party." Penny let out a groan, then playfully glared at Loranne.

"What did you do, now?" she joked and Loranne let out a laugh.

"Only the best, for you girls," she said, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder before moving behind a counter.

"Hey Lissa," Callie said, sliding over to me. "Your hair looks _really_ good." Then she lightly tugged on one of my curls. "And feels really soft." I looked at Loranne for explanation, and she just shrugged, smiling mischievously.

"Aaaanyways," interrupted Connie. "How much do we owe ya?"

Loranne shook her head in bemusement and stated, "Free of charge."

Everyone turned to look at her in shock.

"Um, no." Aly said.

"Absolutely not." Tessa agreed.

"Loranne, there's no way we're walking away with these gorgeous dresses for free." I said, gaping at the kind woman in front of me.

Penny immediately began digging through her bag for gallons, but Loranne held up her wand.

"If one of you takes out a single coin, I will hex you," she commanded. We all froze.

"Now, I might be an old lady, but I am still perfectly capable of performing a Bat Bogey Hex on y'all. I strongly _insist_ that you take these dresses, for free, simply because you all are sweet young girls, and friends with my best friend's daughter, Penelope," she said, shooting Penny a wink. We all turned to look at Penny accusingly, and she held up her hands in surrender.

"Hey, I'm not telling her to give it to us for free!" Loranne simply laughed and began ushering us out of her store.

"Oh, you girls are so silly! Just enjoy the rest of your day, and try not to freeze to death. And come back _anytime_!" My friends slowly filed out of the store, chattering about random things. I heard Callie trying to guess what color Aly's dress was, and Connie describing some violent book she had read.

Loranne suddenly stopped me as I was leaving, and gestured me to come closer to her. I did, wondering what she wanted to say.

"Listen, hun. You seem like a sweet girl. Smart, and sweet. However, there is something- something there-" She squinted her eyes, as if analyzing me.

"What do you mean?" I asked, concerned. She let out a breath and put her hands on my shoulders.

"Before I worked as a tailor, I was a Seer." My jaw dropped. "I know, I know, it was all very exciting, _but-"_ My eyebrows rose up.  
"- _but_ sometimes the auras I would get from people were disturbing. Very disturbing, indeed. In fact, that's why I stopped. My visions and predictions sometimes scared me so badly that I wouldn't be able to sleep for weeks."

My mouth suddenly tasted like copper.

"Now you listen here. Your aura is a perfectly normal, happy, healthy aura, for now, but I sense something dark, something tainted coming towards you. In fact, it has already began to invade you. I can tell that there is something special about you, perhaps you are a sorceress?"  
"How-"

"I'm a Seer hun, I know these things, but that's not what matters. Just heed my words. Whatever people say to you, whatever people make you do, stay true to yourself. Otherwise-" She shuddered. "You, and those you love, could be in danger, _terrible_ danger."

"Lissa, are you coming?" I heard Aly call me from near the Three Broomsticks. Loranne sighed and let go of me.

"Go have fun with your friends. But don't forget what I said. Something dark is headed your way." She wagged her finger at me before disappearing into her shop. I was left there, holding my dress bag, fear gripping at my heart like a claw.

"Melissa!"

"Coming!" I shouted. Don't think too much on it right now, Lissa, I told myself. Just enjoy Hogsmeade.

I raced to catch up with my friends. Seeing that they were near the Three Broomsticks, I raced down the cobblestone path, eager to order a warm butterbeer.

Suddenly, my foot caught on a rough patch of ice, and I stumbled, careening backwards. I opened my mouth to scream, just as strong arms caught my fall.

"Th-thanks," I managed to get out, before standing up and turning to face my savior. My eyes immediately widened as I was met by the smirking figure of Tom Riddle.

"Oh, it's no problem at all, Melissa." He was draped in a thick cloak with a green scarf draped around his neck. His face didn't seem to be affected by the cold at all, he was still as pale as usual. After a moment of awkward silence, I found my voice.

"Um , I should probably get back to my friends. Uh-" I faltered as a few of his Slytherin friends approached us: Malfoy, Lestrange, Nott, Crabbe and Goyle.

"Oh, are you heading to the Three Broomsticks?" He seemed to be making idle conversation, so I nodded slowly, but I already knew he was going somewhere with this.

"How interesting." His voice was smooth as he beckoned his friends closer. "We were just heading there ourselves. Mind if we join you?"


	13. Chapter 11- Feistiness and Friendliness

I stared at Tom for a minute, flabbergasted, watching as his smirk didn't fall an inch.

 _Should I let them come with us?_ I asked myself. _Even though they're Slytherins, even though Tom can sometimes be an asshole, should I? Will Aly and Tessa approve? Will they be able to play nice? Will the Slytherins play nice?_

Tom's voice broke me out of my reverie.

"I mean, I figured you owed me after the whole date fiasco. But if you don't want us to, then..." He trailed off, stepping back, but I quickly straightened up. _Be nice, Melissa_ , I mentally chided myself.

"Of course you guys can," I plastered a smile on my face and Tom's smirk reappeared.

"Excellent," he said, and then, without a word, stepped around me and into the Three broomsticks.

Penny, who was still waiting outside the door for me, gaped when one of the Slytherin boys sneered at her while he was passing by. I hurriedly went up to her after they had all disappeared inside.

"Pen-"

"Are you crazy?" She whispered frantically. I grimaced. "They're Slytherins, for goodness sake Mel, Slytherins! Cold, slimy, heartless, snakes! What are the others gonna think about this?"

"Um," I said, my mind whirling. "Hopefully, they'll remember all the nice things I've done for them and attempt to be civil?" My voice rose at the end, making it sound like a question, and Penny just shook her head in disbelief.

"I can't believe you sometimes, Melissa, you know that?" Without looking at me, she marched inside, leaving me outside, seriously contemplating what I had just done.

"So," Tom broke the silence. "What's your blood status?" I glared at him and mentally face palmed. What kind of question was that?

Aly's shot him a look of loathing and responded coolly. "Pureblood, but I don't see how it matters." Tom just smiled dryly at her as she crossed her arms.

"Muggleborn," Tessa said, lifting her chin in the air. Victor Lestrange let out a scoff.

"I met a Muggle once," Goyle said, letting out a low chuckle. "Most disgusting thing I've ever seen." Everyone froze. Aly looked as if she was about to drive her wand through Goyle's eye. I opened my mouth to try and make peace, but Tessa was already speaking.

"Excuse me?" she said in an icy voice. Goyle had his butterbeer halfway to his lips and let out a questioning grunt. Tessa set her own cup down and spoke in a voice like the edge of a knife.

"If you have a problem with Muggles, then you can keep it inside your incredibly thick head. Oherwise, you can come deal with me. I am not going to sit here and listen to your dimwitted, moronic comments while you slurp up butterbeer like some sort of dog. Just because your parents are some conceited, rich, _purebloods_ gives you no right to disrespect others. _Is that clear_?" She said this so forcefully that Goyle jumped, before quickly muttering agreement.

Tessa looked all around the table at the Slytherins, as if daring them to argue with her.

I was shocked. Tessa had never spoken back to _anyone_ in her entire life. She was usually the sweet, kind, tranquil girl, not the fierce one.

Across the table, I could see Calliope's lips twitching in the corners, and Aly was suppressing a smile. Connie looked incredibly pleased, and as for Penny, she was just staring at Abraxas Malfoy.

Suddenly, I heard someone let out a breath.

"That was incredible," Tom said, chucking. "She's absolutely right, Goyle." Goyle looked even more confused as Nicolas Nott let out a snicker and Malfoy just shook his head in disbelief at Goyle's stupidity.

"Holy shit," Nott said, staring at Tessa admiringly. "I've never seen anyone put someone in their place like that." Tessa blushed and looked down at her drink. Connie let out a choked off laugh, and suddenly, the whole atmosphere seemed to lighten, as everyone started dissolving into laughter. Crabbe thumped Goyle on the back, and he shook his head and forced a smile.

Soon, everyone was talking. Lestrange had Aly involved in some sort of Quidditch discussion, and Connie was debating something with Crabbe and Goyle. Nicolas was smirking at Tessa and saying something to make her smile. Callie was laughing at something Tom had said, while Penny was twirling her hair around her finger and engaging Malfoy in conversation.

As for me, I just stared at our table stunned, amazed at how no one was hexing another person, how no one had thrown butterbeer at another person, and how everyone, well I hoped I wasn't jinxing it, how everyone was actually _getting along_.

Aly glanced over at me, and I raised an eyebrow and gestured between her and Lestrange. She raised her shoulders in an incredulous manner and then turned back to him, flipping her blonde hair back as she did.

I grinned, and took a sip of my own butterbeer, feeling the warmth of the drink spread through my fingers and toes.

Suddenly, Tom looked at me from across the table. When our gazes connected, he winked at me and I copied his trademark smirk. He laughed under his breath and then turned back to Callie, leaning towards her as she talked animatedly.

I suddenly felt a bit weird about the two of them sitting right next to each other, so close together, but I shook it off. _Pull yourself together, Lissa,_ I told myself, brushing a lock of hair behind my ear, but something in my gut was still twisting, making me feel sick.

I set my drink down on the table slowly, and noticed that my hand was shaking.


	14. Chapter 12- Chances and Choices

"Oh, just hurry up already!" Aly's voice was laced with a tinge of annoyance, so I smoothed down the folds of my dress one last time and ran a finger through my curls before stepping out of the room, into the open.

I heard a collective intake of breath and I beamed, pleased with their reaction.

"Lissa, you look, you look-" Zeke sputtered, standing near the common room exit in a nice tuxedo, seeming at a loss for words.

"Holy shit Lissa, you look amazing!" Callie exclaimed, breaking out into a grin. "You look like a walking disco ball!"

"Um," I said, my smile faltering. Penny laughed and put an arm around my shoulders.

"Ignore her, Liss. My darling twin's compliments don't always sound like one. What she means is that you're gonna be the center of attention, since your dress seems like it's made of light." I smiled, twirling around.

"Aaaand you're gonna look the best in pictures," Tessa added, looking at my dress with a look of awe.

"Yeah, I'm a bit jealous," Aly said, looking me over.

"But your dress is gorgeous, Aly! All of yours are!"

It was true. Aly looked breathtaking in a scarlett dress that hugged her waist and flared out over her thighs. Her hair was loose, cascading over her shoulders in its natural waves. Tessa's dress was a deep Ravenclaw blue, and it had a low v-neck, a slight ruffle, and a white sash tied around the waist. Penny, who had convinced Malfoy to take her, was wearing a tight black dress, with lots of sequins and a black rose over her heart.

And then there was Callie. About a week ago, Tom had asked Callie to Slughorn's party without telling me first. Callie had eagerly accepted, which for some reason made my blood boil. Callie was wearing a simple white dress, one that made her seem angelic. Her hair was down and straight, a silky sheet of red that fell loosely around her shoulders. She looked gorgeous, and I almost, _almost_ , felt jealous.

"Well, you all have _fun_ ," Cooper said, heavily emphasizing fun. He smirked at me and the rest of the girls, before settling down onto an armchair, winking at Zeke. Russell started laughing, and I shook my head at their childish behavior. Duncan and Tyler didn't say anything, and they walked over and joined Jordan on a couch where he was reading.

My nose crinkled as my lips turned up at the corners. I knew _exactly_ why they were acting like that. Lately, I had been noticing Tyler trying to engage Aly in friendly banter more and more, and Duncan had been following Penelope around like a lost puppy. And it was no secret that Jordan had liked Tessa since first year.

I shared a look with Callie, who raised her eyebrows in amusement, before I realized I was a bit annoyed at her for going with Tom so enthusiastically. I quickly averted my gaze before walking over to Zeke and taking his arm.

"We'd better get going," I said, hoping to clear up the tension in the room. Connie waved slowly from where she lounged on the floor.

"Don't stay out past eleven!" She called good naturally. I laughed and turned to look at Zeke, whose green eyes were filled with humor, happiness, and eagerness. There was something else there, a sort of wistfulness as he looked at me before opening the door and mock bowing me out.

"After you, my lady," he said smiling goofily. I grinned at him, my heart fluttering with nerves and anticipation of the party to come.

"Why, if it isn't our dear Melissa Carnell, star potion-maker!" Slughorn boomed, walking over to me and Zeke with an older man in tow. He patted my shoulder before turning to Zeke, looking slightly confused.

"Ah, Ezekiel," he said, sounding slightly less enthusiastic. Zeke seemed to deflate slightly, but smiled nonetheless.

"Professor," he said politely. Slughorn nodded in acknowledgement and turned to the man beside him.

"Melissa, this is Edward Derwent, head of St. Mungo's. He's descended from Dilys Derwent, you know, the famous healer and headmistress of Hogwarts," he added, widening his eyes. I quickly stuck my hand out to Mr. Dewent, slightly nervous. Many people had told me that I had the makings to be a Healer, and I didn't want to mess up my first impression on the best Healer currently.

"P-p-pleasure, sir," I stammered nervously, wondering how he would react. Mr. Derwent, however, just chuckled and shook my hand briskly, before smiling warmly at me.

"The pleasure's all mine, Ms. Carnell. Horace here has told me so much about you, how you excel in the art of potionry and pass his class with flying colors." I beamed at him and quickly looked at Professor Slughorn, who shot me a quick wink. Mr. Derwent suddenly turned back to Slughorn.

"You also mentioned another one, a boy student," he said, furrowing his brows. "Is this the one?" He looked at Zeke, who opened his mouth in surprise.

"Oh, no!' exclaimed Slughorn, surprised. Zeke turned red, and I looked at him worried. Slughorn caught himself. "I mean, Ezekiel is trained in the art of potions, but the one I was talking to you about is-" He craned his neck, searching the crowd. "Oh, there he is! Tom, my boy, would you come here for one moment?" My eyes shot wide open as Tom appeared out of the crowd, with Callie draped over his arm. They were both smiling, and I felt a wave of anger roll over me. I clutched onto Zeke's arm tighter, and he looked at me for a moment before sliding his hand into mine. I was surprised for a minute, but it quickly turned to gratefulness as Tom and Callie stopped in front of us.

"Yes, Professor?" Tom said, his voice calm and collected. I rolled my eyes, annoyed with his perfect act. Callie looked at me weirdly.

"Tom, son, this here is Edward Derwent, head of-" He introduced Tom to the man, voice filled with warmth, and I zoned out of the conversation as Callie looked on with pride and Zeke looked on in boredom.

 _Stupid Tom,_ I thought spitefully. _He and his perfect grades and perfect looks and perfect demeanor, and his stupid perfect date with her perfect hair and dress-_ I suddenly snapped myself out of it, shocked at what I had just thought. Did I just bad mouth, well, badthink Tom after we had become friends and he had shown me his nice side? Did I just let my bitter side get the best of me? And had I just felt hatred towards one of my best friends since my first year? I was disgusted at myself, and leaned into Zeke to try to calm down.

Tom's eyes suddenly met mine, and I saw a cloud of anger rise up in them. I was confused, and hurriedly looked at Zeke to see if he had seen it, but he just looked down at me and squeezed my hand, smiling.

"Anyways-" Slughown said, interrupting me out of my reverie. I stood up straight and gave him my full attention, determined not to look at Tom for another second. I realized with a shock that Mr. Derwent had departed, and twisted my head to try and see where he had went.

"Ms. Brown, Mr. Forester, would you two be so kind as to go fetch us some drinks. I think I will take a nice glass of fire whiskey, and as for these two underage children-" he looked at me and Tom and wagged his finger playfully. "-Just butterbeer will suffice." Callie and Zeke murmured agreement and left, Callie detaching herself from Tom's arm.

Now, it was just me, Slughorn, and Tom.

"Sir, where did Mr. Derwent go?" I asked, slightly ashamed that I had not been paying attention. Slughorn's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Why, my dear, he went to go catch up with some of his other friends." I muttered a quick 'oh' but Slughorn just chuckled. "Don't worry, Ms. Carnell, I know two old men's conversations can be quite boring." I blushed and shook my head, protesting, when Slughorn locked eyes with somebody behind me.

"Oh, excuse me for a moment, but I think I see Roderick Plumpton." He walked away, waving madly to someone. I heard him call out "Oh, Roddy! It's been too long!" and then he was gone.

"Did he just say Plumpton?" Tom asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. I looked up, irritated, realizing that it was just the two of us in a corner.

"He was the Seeker for the Tutshell Tornadoes in the early 1900s. Caught the Snitch in 3.5 seconds. He was brilliant," I responded quickly, crossing my arms over my chest. I avoided his gaze, feeling like a stubborn little kid.

I heard his laugh under his breath, and I let out an annoyed breath. Suddenly, his hand was under my chin, lifting my head up to meet his gaze.

"What's the matter, Melissa?" He said quietly. I brushed his hand off and stared at him defiantly. He let out a sigh, and shook his head.

"What did I do now?" I still didn't respond, but he pressed on.

"Is this about Hogsmeade, our training lessons, something here at the party, Calliope-"

"Why would this be about Callie?" My voice came out too loud, and I winced. His eyes widened, before he smirked.

"So it _is_ about Calliope."

"I just said it wasn't."

"Melissa, you're a terrible liar."

"How would _you_ know? You don't even know me?" He scoffed.

"I know everything about you. I was the only one to know you were a sorceress for so long."

"That sounds like something a stalker would say." He shook his head in disbelief again, but I saw something weird flash through his eyes.

"How did you know that I was a sorceress anyways?" He met my narrowed eyes with a neutral face.

"Observation."

"What do you mean, observation?

"I just noticed you."

"When? Did you just continuously stare at me in the library, or did you watch me all through class, or did you watch me while I sleep? My voice was growing more and more accusatory by the second.

"Actually, I was present when you swept one of the older members of my house into a tree and cracked his skull and sent everyone else around you flying," Tom snapped, staring angrily at me. I faltered, stunned. I had almost forgotten about that day, one of the worst days of my life, when I had lost control of myself and nearly killed a boy who was bullying one of my friends, Juniper.

My eyes filled with tears as I remembered how everyone had avoided me for a month after that, and how the teachers had all watched me as if I was going to explode, and how my parents had talked about pulling me out of Hogwarts.

Tom seemed to realize he had crossed a line.

"Lissa-"

"Don't call me that." I sniffled, and realizing that I was about to cry, waved a hand over my face, not wanting to ruin my makeup. Tom let out a choked laugh at my actions, then grew quiet.

"I just wanted to say that you look beautiful tonight." I froze, and looked up at him, at his dark eyes that were filled with genuine innocence. I was completely caught off guard by his words.

This was the side of Tom that no one ever saw. The sweet, honest, vulnerable boy who actually cared about others' feelings. This was the side of Tom that I liked. This was the side of Tom that made my heart beat fast, so fast that I could barely feel it.

"Th- thanks, Tom." I let out a breath. _Relax, Melissa, just relax. This is a party, why are you getting so emotional._

Suddenly, a weird swishing noise sounded from above me. I heard Tom draw in a breath as I looked up, at the green vine that was sprouting right over my head.

"Mistletoe," I whispered, watching as two little white berries emerged from a stem. I bit my lip nervously and looked at Tom, who was smiling lightly. "Tom-"

"It _is_ tradition, Melissa," he said, and suddenly he was right in front of me, drawing me into him, so close that I could feel his body against mine, his warmth radiating off of me. I looked up into his eyes, his dark eyes, that were clouded by something I couldn't recognize, something dark and yearning and full of desire. I could feel one of his hands lightly brushing my curls and I knew that if I closed my eyes and leaned in, the weird longing that I had been feeling all week would be satisfied, the person who controlled my mind would be happy.

If anyone else was in my position, with a vulnerable Tom Riddle in front of them, mistletoe hanging over their heads, and no one watching them, they would have taken the opportunity presented. However, I being the stupidest Ravenclaw to ever live, suddenly thought of Zeke, and Callie, and all of my friends, and what they would think of me. Ignoring my heart and my gut, I followed my brain, and pushed myself away from Tom, who made a surprised noise in the back of his throat.

"Mel-"

"I can't Tom, not with you," I said, fighting back tears. Turning away from him, I ran away, away from the party, away from my problems, away from the boy I had left under the mistletoe.


	15. Not With You

_I can't Tom, not with you. I can't Tom, not with you. Not with you. Not with you. Not with you._

Not with me.

I forcefully pushed my way through the crowd, ignoring whatever look people sent me.

Not with me.

Malfoy looked up as I passed him, his dimwitted date laughing in a fake, girly, high pitched, giggle.

Not with me.

"Hey, Tom-" he began, but when he saw my face he fell silent, eyes widening. His date, Penelope, looked me over with, eyes full of disdain.

"Where's Callie?" she asked, taking a sip of her drink in a nonchalant manner. I fought the urge not to slap the drink out of her arms, right onto her _precious_ dress.

"No clue." I kept my voice low, in order to not draw attention.

I had forgotten all about my date, to be honest. Dressed in a plain white dress with her red hair down, I was assuming she was going for the modest, innocent look. As if I hadn't heard about her late night escapades with the many men of this school. She was just another pretty pureblood princess, who was used to having everything her way. The only reason she was in Ravenclaw was because she wasn't as dumb as a lot of people. She was actually quite conniving. A little conniving princess. It only made me hate her more.

I had only asked her to the party because I thought it would annoy Melissa the most. I knew Melissa was jealous, even though she refused to admit it to herself. The funny thing was, I knew Calliope was envious of Melissa. What girl wouldn't be? Melissa was everything that other girls wanted to be. Beautiful, kind, smart, incredible.

I shook myself out of it as Penelope pursed her lips. Malfoy spoke up.

"I believe I saw your twin and that Forester boy near the drinks." I had forgotten that Slughorn had asked them to fetch us butterbeer. It seemed like so long ago, even though only about three minutes had passed.

"Zeke? Then where's Lissa?" Penelope asked, looking back at Malfoy and then to me with a look of accusation. I fought back a wave of anger. Forester. He had the guts to ask out Melissa, when everyone knew she didn't reciprocate his puppy dog feelings for her.

"No clue," I lied, even though I was perfectly well aware that she had left the party after my failed attempt to kiss her. I knew that I should've waited, given her more time, but even though she didn't know it yet, she was _mine_.

She had looked like a star when she had walked in tonight, with her glowing silver dress and a smile that lit up the room. I had to keep repeating to stay where I was, just talk to my annoying date, for I knew Slughorn would introduce Melissa and I to one of his Healer friends as he had told me at the end of one of our Potions class.

"Well, I'm sure she'll find him," Penelope said, taking yet another set of her drink, eyes glinting. Despite her and Calliope being twins, they shared no physical characteristics. Penelope had black hair whereas Calliope had red. Penelope's eyes were ice blue while Calliope's were hazel. However, as Penelope's eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint, I thought she looked like a shark, the same way Calliope did at times, a shark who knew something you didn't, a shark that knew what was going on in your head, knew what you were afraid of showing, a shark that was about to attack.

"They just make the cuh- _yoo_ -test couple, don't you think?" She asked, batting her eyelashes innocently. I didn't respond.

Instead, my mind was going through a list it had reviewed many times. My Kill List. People who I wanted dead. On the list were only four names. Myrtle Warren, an annoying girl who had complained to no ends, and whom I had taken care of with the basilisk. My filthy Muggle father, who I had taken care of this summer. Zeke Forester, who I was yet to kill. And Albus Dumbledore, the annoyingly smart professor who didn't trust me like the other teachers did. He was also yet to die.

Right now, my mind was scratching another name into the list. Penelope Brown.

"They are," Malfoy said quickly, sensing my boiling rage. I nodded slightly and then left the duo to talk about whatever dumb topics they chose. I was done conversing with them.

As I walked towards Professor Slughorn, I saw people slowly leaving the party, chatting, laughing, smiling. Good. I knew that the party's end was drawing near, and I wanted to talk to Slughorn with as little people around as possible.

I reached into my robes, and closed my hand around a cold, hard, piece of metal that lay tucked inside. A ring. It was something I had retrieved off of my uncle's body. I was planning on making it one of many- special- objects.

Once I got the answers I needed tonight.


	16. Chapter 13- New Years and Noises

**Hey guys!**

 **Yes, this is a chapter, don't kill me! I'm just going to do something different and start it off with an author's note.**

 **So, here's the scoop. I changed the ending of the last chapter, so reread it. I know in the books, Tom makes his Horcruxes right after killing people, but I changed it up. Tom killed Myrtle his fifth year, but now it's his sixth year, and he asked Professor Slughorn about Horcruxes at the Christmas party that happened last chapter. In order to make a Horcrux, he needs to be at the scene of the death, and he needs to remember the hatred he felt towards the person and how they died, and then he needs to cast a spell and a piece of his soul will detach from him and enter the desired object. Tom is only making his Horcruxes this year, because he wasn't entirely sure how they worked up until now. Hope that clears things up!**

 ** _Calliope Brown_**

The holidays passed by slowly. Snow spiraled from the sky in a wintry haze, and everyone enjoyed the break, the snowball fights, the holiday feast, the warm nights spent by the common room fireplace.

However, my heart wasn't completely in the holiday spirit.

I hadn't seen Tom in a week. Not in the library, not at dinner, not in class, nothing. It was as if he had disappeared.

I had mentioned it to my friends. Most of them, including Zeke and Aly, had said "Good." Tessa had chewed her lip and suggested that he was sick. Callie had told me that he was probably still recovering from the party and then winked, which made my lunch threaten to come up. Penelope had just flipped her hair and had said, "Great, he was acting really strange at Sluggy's anyways." I had pressed her a little, but she didn't really say much, leaving me to wonder if Tom was simply just mad at me, which immediately led to me thinking ' _stop thinking everything's about you, he cares more about Callie, god Melissa, you're not the center of everyone's world._ '

Lately, I had been feeling really terrible about myself. I felt bad that I wasn't as close with Callie. I felt bad that I wasn't as close with Tom. I felt bad that I had sort of distanced myself away from everyone in order to get closer to them. I felt selfish and conceited and stuck up, and I hated feeling that way. In order to get my mind off of things, I focused my mind on practicing and controlling my sorcery, summoning purple balls of fiery magic in my hand and throwing up powerful, flexible, shields at will.

Christmas passed. Me and my friends swapped gifts, and I received lots of candy and clothes. My parents sent me a nice, warm, deep blue cloak, which I adored. Tom didn't send me anything, but I tried not to dwell on that, even though I had gotten him this enchanted diary I had found in an antiques shop. I had thought he might enjoy it, seeing how he always seemed like he was lost in thought.

And slowly, as another week slowly drifted by, as the new year started, I started to repair my friendships. Me and the girls spent a few nights discussing all the things we used to. Music, school, clothes, and _boys._ Callie brought up Tom, and I forced myself to forget about him, his dark hair and brooding eyes and- well, it worked, for some part. The girls also had lots of fun constantly teasing me about my relationship with Zeke.

Right. Yet another thing that had emerged from the party was the bond between Zeke and I. I had felt bad about ditching him at Slughorn's, so I agreed to go out with him on Christmas Eve. That night, he had asked me to be his girlfriend. Seeing no reason not to, I agreed, and we shared our first kiss on Christmas under the mistletoe.

Being with Zeke was nice, calming, relaxing, because I knew that I could always count on him, seeing how he knew everything about me except for the fact that I was a sorceress. The time we spent together was full of laughs, inside jokes, light moments full of happiness.

I tried to tell myself to enjoy myself, forget about all my worries. I was happy, my family was happy, I was strengthening my friendships, I was with Zeke. That's was all I had ever wanted, right?

 **All right guys. This was going to be my shortest chapter yet, like super mega short, just because I wanted to make what happens next a whole new chapter. However... I'm going to take pity on you guys (well, not really, I like writing ;D) and give you a buildup to the next chapter. You're welcome!**

"Holy shit," Aly groaned, trying to balance her pile of books in her arms. "Why are they loading up so much homework on us now? It's only been one week since break!" I laughed and took three books from the top of her pile in order to lighten her weight.

"You should've dumped these in our room before dinner," I told her, absentmindedly glancing through her books. One was _Advanced Divination_ , one was a tattered copy of _Advanced Potion Making_ , and one was...

"Hold up," I said, holding up _10 Ways to Get a Wizard to Notice You_. "What the bloody hell is this?" Aly blushed crimson, and I laughed in disbelief. "Enjoyed your date with Eli?" I teased, and she shook her head furiously.

"NO!" I raised an eyebrow, and she hastily explained. "It's, it's not that I didn't enjoy it, he was nice and all, but he's not the reason I got the book."

"What?" I exclaimed. "Then who?!"

She smiled, a little embarrassed, and leaned in towards me. "Promise you won't tell anyone."

"I promise," I said, wondering who on earth it could be.

She gave a nervous cough. " _Tyler_." I stared at her, awestruck. She suddenly got a very sheepish look on her face. "It's bad, isn't it? I know he doesn't like me back, but, but, well I thought I'd try? And I know it's rumored that he has that thing with Katherine West, but I assumed that she had just started that herself, and-"

"Aly." I interrupted her rambling. She turned an even fiercer shad of red when I gave her a knowing grin. "I'm not judging you. In fact, I think it's great!" She gaped.

"Really?" She seemed bewildered. "You actually think it could happen?"

I laughed under my breath, a habit I had picked up from Tom, as I remembered all the times in the past week I had caught Tyler staring at Aly, or trying to engage her in conversation, or glaring daggers at Eli when he came over to talk to Aly casually.

"I do, Aly. And I am actually so glad you said you didn't like Eli, because I'm pretty sure he likes Lizbeth Cattermole," I said, referring to a Hufflepuff in our year. Aly made a face.

"Lizbeth? She's too- _nice_. No brains whatsoever." I shook my head in amusement, and then plucked one more book, _Water Plants of the West_ , off of her stack when she began to walk again.

"I've got to say though, there are gonna be a lot of disappointed boys. Lestarnge, for one." I watched her face to see her reaction, but she just stared at me with a strange look on her face.

"No. Way. We're just friends. I'd never date him." I mimed a shocked expression, and she playfully slapped my arm.

"Stop it, I like Tyler." I made a little kissing noise, and she made a noise of exasperation. "Will you stop?" I held up my hands in surrender, and she sighed and clutched the books tighter to her chest.

"I was going to tell you and Tessa tonight. Now, I think I'll still tell Tessa tonight, probably right before we go to sleep. Will you be there?" I thought about it for a minute, but then remembered that I had made plans.

"Sorry, Zeke and I are going to have a little study night in the common room tonight." I sighed and smiled lightly, but for some reason, I internally made a face.

Aly smiled mischievously. "Ooooh, have _fun_." I rolled my eyes, and she laughed. We came to a hall that split into two. The left hall led towards the common room, whereas the right led towards the Astronomy Tower. Aly started towards the left, but I hesitated.

"Liss, you coming?" I knew that Zeke was probably awaiting me in the common room, but I just wanted a few minutes to myself. I shook my head slowly, feeling the weight of my hair shift against my shoulders.

"I think, I think I forgot one of my good quills in the Great Hall," I lied. Aly gave me an interrogatory stare, but didn't say a word. After pursing her lips, she turned and continued down the hall, humming slightly.

I took a breath. What was wrong with me? I needed some air.

 _But Zeke's waiting for you,_ my mind said.

 _But-_

 _You have a boyfriend, Melissa. You need to spend time with him._

 _But-_

 _Melissa._

I sighed, but then something weird happened. A surge of electricity seemed to go through me, and all of a sudden, I heard someone draw a raggedy breath. I turned swiftly, but there was no one there.

 _Did I just imagine that?_ I thought, confused. All of a sudden, the surge went through me again, and I heard the intake of a shaky breath again, as if someone was about to cry.

"What the-" Then it hit me. It was my sorcery kicking in. I had read in _Ancient Magic_ that once a sorceress trains a lot, her other abilities start kicking in, such as breathing underwater, which had happened a week ago, teleportation, which was yet to occur, sadly, and enhanced senses, such as _hearing._

I realized that the raggedy breathing was coming from down the right hallway. Ignoring the time, (7:00, Zeke and I were supposed to start studying by now) I raced down the hallway, arriving at the base of the stairs. There was still no one in sight. I frowned, turning in a big circle. Then I looked towards the staircase.

Was it possible- somehow- that the noise had come from the top of the Astronomy tower? Had that flash of energy that went though me briefly allowed me to hear the noise from where I was standing, all the way at the _bottom_?

Biting my lip nervously, I began to ascend up the tower, my hand gripping the banister so tight my knuckles went white. One floor passed by, then two. I kept climbing, determined. As I neared the top, the wind started blowing lightly around me, and my heartbeat sped up as I felt the breeze hit me and the fresh air enter my lungs. It amazing.

Suddenly, the half gasping noise came from right in front of me. I realized that I had ten more steps till the final floor, and I sprinted up them two at a time. I pushed open the heavy wooden door that was at the top, and my breath hitched as I took in the sight of me.

Someone was sprawled on the floor, half propped against the wall, their robes billowing out around them. I let out a gasp, and they looked up.

As they reached a hand up to push their dark curls out of their face, a pair of cold eyes met mine, deep and brooding. I let out a cry of alarm.

"Tom?"


	17. Chapter 14- Towers and Talks

"Tom?" I cried. He stared at me for a moment, incomprehensibly, before responding.

"Melissa," he said slowly, drawing out my name. He used one of his hands to slowly inch himself up against the wall until he was in a sitting position. "What are you doing here?"

I didn't hear his question. Instead, I was taking in his appearance. His hair was ruffled, his face was paler than snow, he had dark circles under his eyes, and he barely seemed to be breathing. My head spun, as I involuntarily rushed forwards to his side, dropping to the floor beside him and feeling his hand. It was as if he had been sitting in a freezer. He was deathly cold, and I wrapped my blue cloak around his shoulders.

"Tom," I whispered, feeling hysteria rise up inside of me. "What- what-"

"Melissa, I asked you a question." His voice was cool and crisp, as if he was talking to someone he had never met, and I flinched back in surprise before feeling hurt recoil up inside of me.

"I was just, I was-" I struggled to explain as he continued to glare at me in a displeased, condescending manner. Suddenly, I felt the familiar fire surge through my veins and red hot anger boil up inside of me.

"Now you listen here, Tom- whatever the fuck your middle name is- Riddle! Don't look at me as if you have the right to question _my_ actions! You haven't shown up to class in a whole bloody week, have given no sign of your existence in even longer, and now I find you here barely alive at the top of the Astronomy Tower! Do you know how worried sick I was about you? I thought you were angry at first, and then I thought you were avoiding me, and then I thought you were sick, and now- now I don't know what to think! Whatever happened at the Christmas party may or may not have upset you, bu you have no right to talk to me as if I wasn't concerned for you these past weeks, because I have been! And now I find you looking as if you died and came back to life! I can't believe you had _the nerve_ to ask me what I'M doing here!"

The words came out of me in a gush, and I watched as Tom's face changed from shock to bewilderment to anger, until it finally landed on something that looked like- bemusement. I opened my mouth to say more, but nothing came out, and I just let out a sigh.

"Tom-"

"I'm sorry, Melissa." He said it softly, and I could barely believe my ears.

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry." I stared at him, jaw dropped, until he finally chuckled and beckoned me closer. I slowly scooted towards him, until I was leaning on the wall beside him, angling my body towards his. My anger and shock was all gone, leaving me with a weary, concerned mind.

"Two whole weeks. What did you do to yourself Tom that made you disappear for two whole weeks?" He let out a slight breath and shook his head.

"I- I was, well, experimenting, with some new magic. During Christmas break I had to briefly leave the day after Christmas to visit- some friends, and I tried it there-" He fiddled with his something on his hand. A ring. I had seen him wearing it a couple of times before. It was nothing much, just a thick silver band with a big black stone set into it, but he was clutching it as if it was a part of him (;D). "-And when I came back I attempted it again." I looked at him curiously.

"What was it? Did it work?" He slightly smirked at my questions.

"It did. And I can't tell you what it was, not yet," he added, seeing my furious expression.

I let out a huff and crossed my arms. "And how the hell does that explain your current state?" He chuckled at my anger and then tried to sit up a little straighter but winced.

"Aahh, you see, there were issues with the magic. My body was't quite ready to handle it, so I exerted almost all of my energy trying the first time, and then basically ripped myself apart doing it again." I gasped, but he hastily held up his hands. "It's okay, it should be better in a couple of days."

"Couple of days?" I exclaimed. "When did you last do- whatever it is you did?"

He made a sheepish face.

"Three days ago." Once again, I gasped.

"Tom!" I whisper screamed.

"I know, I know, it was a bad idea. But I- couldn't wait. I received two perfect objects with which to do the magic over Christmas break, and I just-"

"Objects?" My mind was whirling though what he could have possibly done. Tom's expression turned guarded.

"Don't worry about it for now, Melissa. You don' want to get involved, trust me." I opened my mouth again, but the look in his eyes made me uneasy, so I decided not to press him.

"What will you tell the teachers?" He sniggered.

"Don't worry, I told Professor Dippet that I got the flu over break. He believed me, as usual." I rolled my eyes, irritated. "And Malfoy's been bringing me the work and news that I've missed. In fact-" His eyes suddenly darkened. "What's this I hear about you and Forester?" I drew in a sharp breath. For some reason, I felt weird telling him.

"Um, well, me and Zeke, are sort of in a relationship now." I watched his face carefully. For a moment, I thought he was taking it very calmly, but then I saw a muscle tighten under his jaw.

"Look, I know you don't like Zeke, but-"

"It's fine, Melissa." A hint of venom had crept into his voice.

"Tom-"

"I said it's fine."

"Is this about the party, because-"

"I don't want to talk about the party right now Melissa."

"Okay, but-"

"But what?"

"Well, I was just wondering about Callie, and-" Tom smirked slightly, and I felt kind of embarrassed. "I was just wondering if you were intending on seeing her again?" The corer of Tom's lips pulled up higher.

"Well, that depends. Do you want me to?" His voice was like silk, and I felt nervous.

"Well, um, it doesn't really matter to me, it's just that she's my friend, and-"

"But do you want me to ask Callie out again?"

"Um-" I struggled to form a response.

"Jealous, are we?"

"What? No! I'm perfectly happy with Zeke!" My voice rose up, a sign of uncertainty, and Tom caught this.

"Mhm."

"Tom, I'm serious. Besides, I know Callie likes you a lot."

"I'm well aware of that."

I stared at him as he seemed to mull things over.

"She does have exceptionally pretty eyes-"

Something bubbles in my stomach.

"And great lips."

I felt sick to my stomach.

"And I know most boys and girls alike are in love with her hair."

I wanted to scream ' _STOP IT!'_ at the top of my lungs but I forced myself to be quiet. I squeezed my fists together as Tom looked at me with a mischievous glint in his eye and leaned towards me. I braced myself to hear more things he admired about Callie.

"But I've always preferred brunettes." My eyes flew open, and I stared at him for a moment in silence. He leaned back and laughed silently, please with my reaction. I smacked him lightly on the arm.

"Why do you say stuff like that?" He only laughed harder, and I rolled my eyes, annoyed. He suddenly moved himself so he was seated right next to me.

"Carnell-" His voice was awestruck and serious, and I turned my head to see what was going on.

"What?" I asked skeptically.

He looked at me with an amazed expression.

"I feel better now." I laughed.

"Let me guess, you were just faking it this whole time, or you put some sort of temporary sickness charm on yourself?" I laughed, but he continued staring at me with a bewildered expression.

"Melissa-" He trailed off, unable to continue.

"What? Are you saying you magically healed all by yourself?"

He stared at me. "No, Melissa. I'm saying that _you_ did." I gaped.

"What?" He grinned.

"Your magical voodoo sorcery powers helped me, Lissa!" I'd never seen Tom look so happy, he was staring at me as if I was a goddess. "You, you took away the pain!" I took a breath and looked down at my palms, wondering how I had healed Tom without realizing it.

"Are you sure?"

"YES!" His tone was joyful, enthusiastic, and he suddenly pulled me towards him as if he was going to hug me and then decided against it, letting his hands drop to either sides of me.

"Melissa, you- you healed me. Only you. I can't-" He shook his head in wonder. "I can't believe this. You're so much more powerful then I thought you would be. I mean, not that I thought you wouldn't be powerful, but-" He broke off. "You're _amazing._ " I blushed lightly.

Suddenly, his eyes widened again.

"Wait, Melissa." He reached inside his robes.

"What now?" I asked stretching my legs out next to him, wondering what else he was going to announce. He pulled out a small black box and held it out to me.

"I never got to give you your Christmas present."

Eyebrows furrowed, I took it from him in surprise, and slowly flipped the box open.

Inside was a necklace.

It was a plain silver chain with a sapphire charm dangling off of it. Wrapped around the sapphire was a beautiful silver snake. I touched the charm lightly in wonder, feeling the coldness kiss my finger.

"It's gorgeous, Tom," I murmured, awestruck. "But how did you afford it?" I looked up into his eyes, which were swimming with happiness.

"My- friends- the ones I visited, helped me out a bit," he admitted. I beamed at him and gently pulled the necklace out of the box, unfastening the clip. I then turned away from him and brushed my hair away from my neck while holding out the necklace towards him.

"Will you?" I could _feel_ him smile, and then his hands were slipping the necklace around me. I heard the _click_ of the clasp fastening, and then the charm was tucked into my collarbone, cool and comforting.

Tom's arms then came around me, pulling me into him, allowing me to lean against him. If this was any other time, I would probably have pulled away, but right now, I was feeling safe and secure with him, so I allowed myself to relax.

"Oh Melissa," I heard Tom say slowly. "What would I do without you?"

I smiled lightly, loving this side of Tom, this happier, calm Tom. I let my eyes slowly flutter shut as my breathing slowed.

The last thing I saw before falling asleep were the stars up ahead, winking down at me like lanterns in the sky.


	18. Chapter 15-Judgement and Jealousy

I woke up, my eyes struggling to adjust to the bright sunlight filtering in through the tower's many windows.

Wait... tower?

Groggily, I sat up, trying to stretch out my back when something slipped off of me. My cloak. It had been wrapped around me like a blanket, engulfing me in its warmth.

Slowly picking it up, I realized that I was all alone in the tower. I rubbed my eyes in confusion. Had I dreamed all of last night?

I stood up on shaky legs, when something _clunked_ to the floor. I recoiled, startled, but I saw that it was just a little black box. Wait. The box. My hand flew to my neck, where I felt the familiar cold touch of the snake necklace. My shoulders sagged in relief, but then tensed up.

Last night hadn't been a dream. I found Tom in pain. I healed Tom. I fell asleep on Tom. My hands flew to my mouth. What had I been thinking?

After standing for a moment in horrified shock, my legs started to work again. I sprinted down the tower stairs, my mind whirling, thinking about all the effects my actions from last night were going to have.

 _Thump, thump, thump._

My legs were blurs of energy as I raced down flight after fight, my mind saying one thing over and over.

 _What was I going to do?_

I cautiously entered the Great Hall, wondering how much I had slept. Seeing my friends all sitting side by side at the Ravenclaw table, I made my way over to them, grinning.

"Morning guys," I said cheerfully, relieved that I hadn't missed any classes. They jumped at the sound of my voice, and eleven people mirroring each others' shocked expressions turned to look at me.

"Melissa!" Tessa exclaimed, scooting over to make room for me and dragging me onto the bench. "What, what-"

"Melissa, where the fuck were you?" Aly cried.

"Last night?"

"Were you lost?"

"We thought you were kidnapped?"

"What happened?"

As my friends barreled me with questions, I held up my hands for them to stop, feeling my head start to spin.

"Hold on, what are you talking about?" I bit my lip nervously, hoping they wouldn't dig too deep into my responses. Zeke looked at me with a solemn expression.

"You missed our study date last night." He said it in a sad, almost accusatory voice. I blanched. I had completely forgotten about that.

"Oh my god, Zeke, I am so, so, sorry. I just, I had prefect duties last night that Professor Dumbledore reminded me of when I came back here to retrieve my quill, and then after my patrol was over, at like ten, then I headed to the library even though it was after hours just to find a book for Potions, and then I fell asleep there, and I just completely forgot that I had told you that we would study-" I blabbered on, trying to apologize, but Zeke seemed to accept it as he leaned over to squeeze my hand.

"It's okay, Liss, I was just worried about you," he said in a relieved voice. "We all were. I just thought, maybe-"

He broke off suddenly, his cheeks turning red. I frowned, confused.

"Maybe what?" He let out a half hearted laugh.

"I thought that maybe you were- with someone else." He bit the inside of his cheek, and suddenly I felt like the most horrible girlfriend ever. Probably because I was. Zeke was one of the kindest, most genuine people I had ever met, and here I was spending time with a guy who I had been friends with for about four months and still didn't completely trust. What on earth was I thinking?

I sighed. "I'm sorry that I gave you a reason to think that, Zeke, but you know that you're the only guy who catches my eye." I tried for a light, teasing tone, and he gave me a slight smirk.

"Are you admitting that I'm the hottest guy here?" I laughed.

"It's the only time you're ever gonna hear it, so enjoy while it lasts." I took a deep breath. "Yes, you, Ezekiel Forester, are the most attractive guy here at Hogwarts." Zeke's smirk grew, and he winked, which made me blush and laugh harder.

I heard Tyler scoff and lean over to Aly. "That's such a lie, don't you think?" He loudly whispered to her. I saw Aly's cheeks tint pink, but she responded back teasingly.

"I don't know Ty, Zeke is verrry good looking, with the tousled blonde hair and green eyes, star Seeker of Ravenclaw," she said, winking at Zeke. I ruffled Zeke's hair in a childish manner, while Ty crossed his arms and pouted.

"Hey! I'm blonde too, ya know, and decent at Quidditch, even tough I'm not on the team!" Aly just shrugged, and Ty turned towards Zeke. "Seriously Forester! Quit stealing my girl!" I saw Aly's eyes shine at that, and me and Tessa shared smiles.

"I hate to ruin this bonding moment going on between you all," Cooper drawled, "But look who just walked in." We all simultaneously turned around, only to see Tom Riddle, Abraxas Malfoy, Victor Lestrange, and Nicholas Nott stroll in, talking casually.

"The slimy Slytherin princes themselves," Zeke muttered, his voice full of hatred. I shot him a surprised look at his tone, and he raised his eyebrows in response. "You know I don't like them, Liss." I rolled my eyes.

"They're not _that_ bad," Tessa said quietly, and all the guys looked at her with appalled expressions.

"You don't actually _mean_ that, do you Tess?" Russell said, staring at her.

Tessa crossed her arms. "Well, what've they ever done to you?" I could see Russell struggling for a response.

"Um," Ty interrupted. "Do you remember alllll the times they made fun of Duncan and called him weak and stupid?"

"So did you guys," Tessa argued. "In fact, you still do."

"Yeah, but-" Cooper opened his mouth to say more, but Jordan leaned around him to talk directly to Tessa.

"Do you _like_ them?" He asked in a very shocked, very quiet voice. Tessa suddenly turned scarlet and looked away, seeming uncomfortable. Jordan's face fell. I looked back at the Slytherins, not wanting to watch anymore interactions between the two of them, and so did Aly.

Suddenly, as if sensing our gazes, the Slytherins look over at us. Nick grinned at Tessa, and she tensed up in reply before giving a hesitant smile back. I quickly looked at Jordan to see if he had seen that, but luckily he was staring at the table. I turned back around, trying to catch Tom's gaze, but he was fiddling with his ring and looked lost in thought. I saw Lestrange catch Aly's eye and wink at her, causing her to grin and then turn back around.

"Hold up!" Tyler exclaimed, dropping his spoon into his bowl with a loud clang. "Did you guys just see that?!"

"See what?" Duncan asked, looking at him. Tyler's face was turning red.

"He just, Lestrange just, he winked at you, Aly," he spluttered, pointing accusingly at her.

"What?" Zeke asked, craning his head to look at Lestrange. Aly raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?"

Tyler gaped. "He winked at you, I saw it!" Aly shrugged causally, taking another bite of her omelet, but I could see her hiding a smirk.

"So?" She asked innocently.

Tyler looked like he was about to throw a fit. "SO YOU TWO AREN'T BLOODY FRIENDS FOR HIM TO WINK AT YOU LIKE THAT!" He raged. Aly's mouth turned up in the corners.

"Who says we're not?" Tyler turned to look at the rest of us with a blank expression.

"Are you guys hearing this?" Connie looked up, smiling mischievously.

"Well, we did hang out with them at Hogsmeade," she said, casually taking a sip of orange juice.

"WHAT?" Duncan exclaimed, turning redder than a tomato.

"Are you boys okay?" Callie asked, twirling a piece of hair around her finger. "You all almost seem- jealous." Her eyes glinted as the boys erupted into arguing.

"Lissa, you never told me you hung out with them at Hogsmeade!" Zeke said, glaring at me. I held my hands up in surrender.

"Hey, you all had gone to have a snowball fight, and we had just finished dress shopping, and it just, it just happened," I finished lamely. Zeke narrowed his eyes.

"Was Riddle there?"

I tugged my hair nervously. "Um, yeah, but he seemed mainly focused on Callie." Callie giggled, but I ignored her.

Zeke seemed to like that response, but he still seemed on edge.

"I don't like the two of you hanging out so much," he muttered, drilling holes into the table with his eyes. I shook my head, bemused.

"Oh, stop it, you know we're just friends." I felt a little weird saying this, especially after the way Tom had acted last night. But I knew I didn't like him like that, or at least I thought that I didn't.

"Still..." he trailed off as the voices around us got louder and more heated. He gave me a pained look as he covered his ears. "Merlin, they won't shut up, will they?" He rose from the table, and I got up with him, watching as Tyler, Jordan, and Duncan grew more and more jealous as Aly and Callie teased them mercilessly. Tessa was just turning redder by the minute, while Penny watched Duncan with a faraway look in her eyes.

Zeke laced his fingers through mine as we walked. "Well, anyways Lissa," he started as we walked towards the doors. "How would you feel about accompanying me to Hogsmeade this weekend?" I smiled at him and squeezed his hand.

"I would love to, Zeke." He grinned, but then it faded as he looked at something behind him.

"Say, Lissa-" He sounded disturbed, and I involuntary slowed down.

"What?" I asked, tilting my head.

Zeke shook his head, as if disturbed. "

I just realized that it's the first time that Riddle's shown his face since Christmas. Did you, did you by any chance know he was going to be here today?"

I peeked over my shoulder and saw Tom looking at us with an unreadable expression on his face. His eyes seemed to bore into mine, and I quickly turned away. I wondered if he was thinking about last night, or if he had forgotten about that, seeing how he had left me there alone. Maybe I was just being silly, reading so deep into it. Who knows, maybe he was thinking about all that work he had to catch up on, or that weird magic he was mentioning.

"No Zeke," I said, feeling a weird shiver go through me as I lied straight to my boyfriend's face. "I had _no clue_ that he was going to be here today."


	19. Chapter 16- Hogsmeade & Horcruxes Part 1

It was Valentine's Day.

The most romantic day of the year.

The day that people spent with their soul mates. The day that couples got together, hearts were fulfilled, and chocolate and flowers went out of stock.

The day of love.

"I WAS SUPPOSED TO GET HIM A GIFT?" I exclaimed, staring at Aly, shellshocked. She laughed, seeing my bewildered face.

"Um, hello? You've only been together a _whole_ month!"

"A month really isn't that much, though," mused Tessa, as she drew her cloak tight around her as we stepped out of the castle.

"It's long enough that they should be getting each other stuff on Valentine's Day," Aly argued. I sighed, feeling a knot of nerves twist anxiously in my stomach.

It was Valentine's Day, the first Valentine's Day that I had spent in a relationship, and I was already freaking out. It was bad enough that I had no idea where Zeke was taking us into Hogsmeade, but now I was expected to get him something?

I let out an irritated sigh just as Tessa did an excited hop.

"I can't wait, I can't wait! I'm so, so excited to finally go on a date with Jordan!" She let out an excited squeal and twirled. Aly smiled, amused, and put an arm on Tessa's shoulder.

"Slow down there, Tessie, we allll know you're excited, don't worry," she said as we descended the steps.

Tessa sighed, but then looked at us, her eyebrows drawn into a crease.

"What if it isn't that great? What if he thinks I'm boring? Am I dressed up enough? What if-?"

"Tessa, you're going to be _fine_. The two of you have been pining after each other since first year, and the two of you going on this date is honestly a relief. I swear, if you two shared another one of your looks without asking the other out, we all would have gone mad!" I threw my hands up into the air for dramatic effect, and Tessa turned pink.

"You really think he liked me for that long?" I was about to respond, but Aly just let out a breath and shook her head at Tessa's innocence.

"Oh my god, Tessa, you're honestly blind," she lightly chided, clucking hr tongue.

I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Don't you start on her, Alyssa Clearwater. Aren't you and Tyler going on a- what are you calling it again? A 'hangout'? Just the two of you?" Aly turned bright red and seemed too flustered to speak. Tessa and I cracked up, and Aly just pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"It doesn't mean anything!" She protested. Just then, a voice came from our right.

"Are you ladies ready for three grand trips into Hogsmeade?" Zeke asked, smirking cheekily, bumping shoulders with Tyler and Jordan, who stood on either side of him. I laughed and went up to him, looping my arm through his. Tessa just looked shyly at Jordan while he grinned at her, while Aly rolled her eyes at Tyler as he smirked at her.

"Of course! It's the day of loooove!" I drew out the word love and widened my eyes in a teasing manner. Jordan and Tyler glared at me, but I quickly dragged Zeke away, slipping my fingers through his.

"What's the matter Jordan? Nervous?" Zeke sniggered as Jordan started stammering, looking nervously at Tessa. Zeke and I cracked up and started walking towards Hogmseade.

"Have _fun_ girls!" I called over my shoulder. Without looking back, I immediately knew that the two pairs of "friends" had gone red as tomatoes. I chuckled evilly to myself.

"So..." I trailed off awkwardly as I stared with distaste at the barf pink walls that surrounded us.

Zeke, attempting to be a good boyfriend, had taken me to the worst shop in Hogsmeade: Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop.

The whole place was blazing pink, with hearts and flowers scattered everywhere and a strong smell of perfume. The chairs were wayyy too squishy, the tables were way too small, and the food was horrible. I had nearly gagged when I first tasted the tea, because it tasted like someone dumped a whole bowl of sugar into it, which someone probably did.

Looking around the tea shop, I wondered why it had so many customers. I mean, it was Valentine's Day, but did people really have nothing better to do than come _here_? Why not The Three Broomsticks, or Honeydukes?

As I gazed from table to table, I realized that no one was really focusing on their drinks, but were more engrossed in having a snogging session with their girlfriend or boyfriend. Ahhh, that explained it.

I stared at disgust at one couple that looked like they were eating each other's faces. Zeke, seeing where I was looking, raised his eyebrows and snickered.

"If they get any closer they'll be the same person," he muttered under his breath, his voice filled with amusement. I laughed, and wrapped my hands around my cup, hoping its warmth would seep into my skin. Unfortunately, the tea was cold, so I slipped my hands into my pockets, feeling uncomfortable and cold.

Zeke looked at my face, then let out a breath.

"I'm sorry, Lissa," he said, making a face. I glanced at him, surprised.

"About what?"

Zeke waved his hand around in the air.

"About _this_. I should've known you wouldn't like it here, I know how much you dislike pink and flowers and perfume. I just- so many guys recommended it, and I wanted to make this a good Valentine's Day, and I just... ruined it." He groaned, and put his head in his hands.

I immediately pulled one of his hand away from his face.

"What? No, Zeke, no! You didn't ruin Valentine's Day! Sure, this might not be my most preferred place, but we're here together! That's all that matters." I squeezed his hand as he looked up to me with hopeful eyes.

"Do you really mean that?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course I do, you door." He smiled, shaking his head, and then planted a quick kiss on my hand. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

"Hey, I almost forgot, I got you something." My eyes widened as he dug around in his coat pockets.

 _Goddamn it, Melissa, you should've gotten him a gift. Maybe chocolate, or a teddy bear, or, wait, that's not what you get a guy, well, guys like Zeke. Wait, then what should I have gotten him? Maybe something for his broom, or like a book... wait, that sounds like a birthday present. What the heck do you get a guy on Valentine's Day?_

Zee's voice shook me out of my pondering.

"So, I know it's not much, but..." He trailed off, looking sheepish, as he handed me two things. One was a teddy bear. A sweet, looking, cocoa brown teddy bear with a big smile. I immediately named him Dexter in my head. The other was a flat, square, silver box.

I carefully pried open the gift and gasped in excitement. Inside lay a silver bracelet, with a small pink heart dangling off of it. I snatched the bracelet up and immediately slipped it on my wrist, and then leaned over and tucked Dexter under my arm.

"Zeke, I love it! Both Dexter and the bracelet! Thank you so much!"

A look of confusion flitted over Zeke's face.

"Dexter? Oh, the bear. Of course you already named him." He smiled. "I'm so glad you like them. The bear was an easy choice, but the bracelet was tough to pick out. They didn't have your birthstone, a sapphire, unfortunately, except as a necklace, but I noticed that you already wore one..."

My hand flew up to my snake necklace, the one Tom had given me, and my mouth parted in surprise. Zeke's brow furrowed.

"Who gave you that, anyway? It looks new."

"Um, it was a gift from my parents for Christmas," I answered quickly. Zeke seemed content with that answer, and then continued rambling.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't sure if you would like it without the sapphire, because girls seem to like that sort of thing, birthstones and such, and so I-"

"Zeke," I interrupted, a bemused smile tugging at my lips. "I love it." He let out a sigh and then leaned forward to push a strand of hair behind my ear.

"I'm glad." I held my breath as he lightly kissed me, then pulled back as someone at the table next to us suddenly let out a sickly sweet giggle. He made a face at me.

"Let's get out of here before things start getting heated between _those_ two." I widened my eyes and nodded in agreement as he continued. "Maybe Honeydukes? We can get some of that raspberry chocolate you adore."

"Oh my god, yes!" I exclaimed, clapping my hands eagerly. We quickly stood up and exited the tea shop, the door jingling behind us.

Outside, the atmosphere was calm, but deathly cold. Light snow drifted from the sky, and I immediately felt my fingers freezing over.

I frowned, and flexed my fingers. _Maybe..._ An idea sparked in my head. I concentrated and slowly flexed my fingers, willing my magic to cooperate.

There it was. A flash of warmth ran from my fingers all the way to my toes, and I grinned, pleased. I had been working on controlling my magic by myself, seeing how Tom had been ignoring me ever since the tower incident. Thankfully, my eyes or hands didn't flash purple when performing such little acts of sorcery, otherwise Zeke would've surely noticed.

"Lissa? You good?" Zeke called. I looked up, startled, and noticed that he was several meters ahead of me.

"Oh yeah, sorry, I'm coming," I absentmindedly responded, starting forwards.

Suddenly, I saw a flash of black in the corner of my eye. I froze, and turned my head. There was nothing there.

"Lissa?" Zeke called me again.

I was about to respond when I heard a noise, a tiny noise, as if someone had kicked a wall. My body tensed up, as my eyes flitted around anxiously. I knew that there was no way Zeke would have heard the noise, seeing how I barely heard it even with my enhanced hearing.

"Lissa, what's wrong?" Zeke's voice was alert and full of concern. I turned to him, my hair blowing loosely into my face. I forced my shoulders to relax, as I tried to muster up the most carefree voice I could.

"Oh, nothing's wrong Zeke, I just think I left one of my gloves back at Madam Puddifoot's." I let out a fake sigh of annoyance. "Look, its nothing much. In fact, why don't you go ahead to Honeyduke's and start picking out the raspberry chocolate, I wouldn't want it all to be gone." I tried for a small smile, hoping he would buy the story.

Zeke seemed to be thinking it through, but then he shrugged.

"Okay, fine. But don't hesitate to come get me if you need help finding your, glove was it?." I nodded. After looking at me for a minute longer, as if to make sure I was telling the truth, he turned and walked further up the path, towards Honeydukes.

I immediately whirled around and stalked towards the noise.

It was coming from a small alley, located behinds Madam Puddifoot's.

I cautiously peeked into it, hearing someone mutter under their breath and kicking what sounded like a rock around.

Someone wearing a long black cloak was pacing back and forth, tinkering with something in their hands, while kicking a... brick(dang it, I was so close! A rock is basically a brick, though, right?).

I let out a sigh of relief as they turned towards me, their pale face catching the light and their swirling dark eyes visible.

"Of course it's you."

Tom's head shot up at the sound of my voice, his hands immediately stuffing something- no, _things_ \- into his robes.

I gave him a questioning look.

"What are those?"


	20. Chapter 17- Hogsmeade & Horcruxes Part 2

_1_ _hour ago..._

 **Tom's POV**

I exited the castle with a look of disdain on my face.

It was Valentine's Day. The most useless day of the year. The day where couples that had been together for a day would call themselves soul mates and snog, only to break up the next day.

I let out a noise of disgust while, behind me, Nott and Lestrange discussed Clearwater and Davis' plans for today.

"Did you hear that Davis is heading to Hogsmeade with that _idiot_ Spinnet! Out of all the people she could have chosen-" Nott spoke in a disgruntled tone.

"You think you have it bad? Clearwater's accompanying that piece of scum Murphy! He's a belligerent, babbling-"

"Would you two _shut it_?" I snapped, annoyed. I didn't want to hear about their ruined love lives, especially when I had one too. Nott and Lestrange snapped their mouths shut like two fish. I sighed, and continued walking.

"Sorry," Nott muttered. I stopped in my tracks and turned around, raising my eyebrows. Nott immediately backed up, thinking I was angry with him.

"Relax, I'm not going to kill you," I said, trying for a light manner, but Nott simply paled. He knew of my short temper, and he was aware that today was a day of great significance to me.

"Listen up," I said, addressing the five boys gathered around me. There was Crabbe, a bigger, decently smart boy, Goyle, a strong, stupid boy, Malfoy, a powerful, clever boy, Lestrange, a ruthless, sly boy, and not, a sarcastic, mischievous boy. They all respected and feared me, and they knew that today they had a job to do. I trusted that they could carry it out, and I hoped with all my soul that they wouldn't screw up this opportunity that had been presented to us.

"You all have a task to do today. I need you to turn on your charm, your brains, your resources, and get me the objects I desire. If we face any issues, there will be consequences to pay. Today may be the day of _love_ -" I drew the word out like it was foreign on my tongue, then continued. "-But that does not give you an excuse to fail. Remember why you are here."

Fixing them all with a deadly look, I turned away from them and started towards Hogsmeade, knowing they would follow without question.

"Well, Tom," Hepzibah Smith said, smiling at me over the brim of her cup. "It's Valentine's Day today. Any special girls in your life?"

I stared back, keeping a neutral face and responding a collected tone.

"Unfortunately not, madam. I have not yet stumbled upon _the one_ , as many may say." I tried to stop my lip from curling as she let out an airy giggle and fanned her face, trying to appear younger than she actually was.

"Oh, pity," She said, widening her eyes before discreetly examining her reflection in a mirror behind me. A light feeling of nausea swept over me as I tried to imagine her with any more makeup or jewelry on.

Trying to distract myself, I momentarily closed my eyes, only to see Melissa's face flash before my eyes, her eyes close, her face relaxed, and her body curled up next to me, as it had been in the tower. I hurriedly wrenched my eyes open, not wanting to think about that night. I had let myself become too vulnerable, too open to her. In order to put my walls back up, I had distanced myself from her, avoiding the library and avoiding her gazes in our shared classes. I had even stopped training her, knowing she would continue on herself with that Ravenclaw determination of hers. It was killing me, but I had pushed Melissa Carnell out of my life.

I let out a sigh under my breath, and forced myself back to reality, turning my gaze towards a pair of rings glimmering in a glass box behind Hepzibah.

"Pardon my curiosity, but what are those rings there, Miss Hepzibah?" I made my voice as polite as possible, smiling lightly. Hepzibah seemed to melt under my gaze, hurriedly rushing over to them.

"Oh, these? Why, come over here Tom, and take a look for yourself!" I slowly stood up from my armchair and slowly made my way over to her, looking at the rings.

They were light silver, with a thick green band stretching around them and a small emerald was set into each of them, glowing under the lights. In thin, cursive letters, the words _et in caritate perpetua_ were inscribed on the insides of the rings.

"These are goblin made rings, _very_ valuable. They are called promise rings. But not your ordinary, teenage couple promise rings, no, these are the real deal. Once this ring is on each of your fingers, you two are bonded, in mind and soul. You will be able to feel each other's pain, the other's sorrow, the other's happiness, everything." I stared down, my mind churning as the ring glinted mocking at me.

"These are only to be worn by the truest of lovers, lovers that keep each other whole. They truly symbolize promise, or love that lasts forever. The words _et in caritate_ _perpetua_ means 'and everlasting love' in Latin." She saw my fixation on the rings and smiled wryly. "The only thing with these is that once they have been put on, they can never be removed. "

I turned to her, an eyebrow arched, and she laughed, her earrings jangling.

"Oh, Tom, you should see your face!" I chuckled, turning towards her, trying to cool my ruffled feathers.

"I'm sorry if I seem to absorbed in them, I have great interest in ancient artifacts such as these." Hepzibah looked at me, a slow, mischievous smile spreading over her face.

"Well then Tom, I think I have just the thing for you. Hokey, come here!" A house elf staggered into the room, looking up at Hepzibah with adoring eyes. "What is it, Madam?"

"Hokey, I want you to bring me my most valuable treasures. Both of them. Right away, too. I think Mr. Riddle here would have quite a fascination with them." She grinned at me, and I simply gazed back at her, interested.

"Of course, Madam," Hokey said, then quickly walked out of the room.

I felt my heart pick up speed. Was she going to show me what I thought she would? The two ancient artifacts of Slytherin and Hufflepuff? I had been trying to lay my hands on these for a while now, sending Nott and Lestrange to Borgin and Burkes to hunt them down, sending Crabbe and Goyle to deceased people's homes to attempt to locate them. In the end, it took some flattery and charm to find and have a conversation with Miss Hepzibah Smith, who I knew was in possession of them, but I had no idea how quickly she would reveal them to me.

I nearly jumped out of my seat with greed when Hokey walked back into the living room, two leather boxes stacked in her arm.

Hepzibah took them from her and turned to me, her eyes shining.

"Now, I think you'll like this, Tom... oh, if my family knew I was showing you... they can't wait to get their hands on these!"

I stared at the sprawled out body of Hepzibah Smith. Her eyes were glassy, her mouth was open in a look of terror, and she had one hand to her heart, obviously in shock.

I grinned, my mind replaying the afternoon's events in my head.

She had showed me the locket and the cup, I had tried to prevent my eyes from turning red with greed, as it had sometimes done ever since I had created my first two Horcruxes, and then we had chatted some more over tea. I had slipped some poison into her tea, waited for it to take effect, and then, after she was dead, erased the house elf's memories, convinced her that she had been the one responsible of killing Hepzibah, and sent the locket and cup off with Malfoy, confident that he would not misplace them.

I slowly strolled all around the living room one last time my eyes skimming over the countless number of mirrors, jewels, and trinkets that the greedy woman had owned. I scoffed when I saw some makeup hastily stuffed behind a bookshelf, knowing that she had probably been trying to appear attractive to me.

Suddenly, my eyes landed on the rings from earlier. I sucked in a breath, letting my gaze wander over them, from the expert craftsmanship to the carefully engraved words. I toyed with my Gaunt ring, the one I had turned into a Horcrux.

Knowing that I was too entranced by the promise rings to leave them, I quickly brought my hand through the glass box.

 _CRASH!_

It shattered, shards going everywhere, one getting caught particularly deep in my hand. I winced, barely perceptible, then shook my head at the fact that there were no enchantments protecting the rings.

 _Stupid woman_ , I thought nastily.

Delicately picking up the two rings, I slipped them into my pockets, casting a quick _Reparo_ so the glass box would be fixed, and then, without another glance back, slipped out of Hepzibah's house, making sure there were no witnesses around to see me.

I quickly Apparated back to Hogwarts, feeling the familiar _SNAP_ as I whisked into presence in an old alley.

Light voices floated past me, but they sounded reasonably far away. A few giggles, some hiccups... and some kissing. I groaned as I realized it was still Valentine's Day.

However, I couldn't hear anyone relatively close by. I relaxed, and reached deep into my robe's pockets to pull out the rings.

The words caught a ray of light and sparkled.

 _'And everlasting love.'_

Looking at them, a feeling rose up in my stomach, a feeling of hatred, anger, disgust. I kicked a brick near my foot against a wall.

 _Love. What a joke._

I turned the rings over and over agin in my hands, being careful not to drop them.

 _There's no such thing as love. Just attraction._

I didn't want to think of love, of promises made forever.

I kicked the brick again.

I stared at the ring, and suddenly, an image popped into my head, of the same ring on a girl's hand, _Lissa's_ hand, as she stared at it in awe, then looked up at me, smiling.

 _Damn it, Tom, don't think about her. She's dating Forester._

I was about to kick the wall again when I heard a light sigh of relief from behind me. I turned around, quickly lifting my head.

"Of course it's you." My eyes locked on the girl who was haunting my mind, as I quickly showed the rings into my pockets again. Melissa gave me a questioning look as a gust of wind blew a dark lock of her hair away from her face.

"What are those?"

 **Okay, I'm just going to clarify some things.**

 **Tom and Melissa are in their _sixth_ year. I changed some of the plot from the original books. Tom has made his first two Horcruxes, the diary and the ring, and he has now gained possession of the cup and the locket. I know that in the books Tom only gets them after graduating because he works at Borgin and Burkes, but... not in my story. I hope I got most of the details right, I used a lot of details from the Hepzibah/Tom scene that Rowling wrote but in my own words. The last words that Hepzibah says are taken straight from harry potter and the Half Blood Prince, though.**

 **P.S. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO J.K. ROWLING**


	21. Chapter 18-A Valentine's Day to Remember

Tom's eyes darkened as he took in the sight of me.

"Nothing of importance," he said in a cutting manner. He shoved his hands in his pockets before quickly walking towards me. I hastily took a step back, thinking he was coming towards me, but ended up tripping backward over the brick he had been kicking around.

"Oh sh-" Tom's arm snapped out and stabilized me. I clung onto him as I regained my footing, and then slowly raised my eyes up to meet his gaze.

He stared at me for a minute, his jaw working as he swallowed and his eyes widening a fraction of an inch, before he abruptly let go of me and turned away.

"I was just heading out of this filthy alley, Carnell," He said darkly, before continuing on. My mind took a moment to process his words before it clicked.

"Wait!" I dove out and grabbed his robes, nearly stumbling and falling over another brick. Tom lurched backwards, and had to grab me to stable himself. His face was full of annoyance.

"Really, Carnell? Are you trying to take us both down?" I winced at the malice in his voice, and was about to let go of him, when I realized that was exactly what he was trying to do. Push me away. I wasn't going to let it work.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Tell me why you're avoiding me." His eyes narrowed to mimic mine.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." I let out a huff and through up my hands in frustration.

"Don't lie to me like that, Tom! A few months ago, I hated Slytherins, the whole lot of you, but then we became friends, and you actually had me convinced that you weren't all that bad, and then you started training me in sorcery, and I thought that we were close, oh I've actually become quite good by the way, and then we had the deep talk in the tower, and-"

"Don't." His voice was hard and icy.

"What?"

"Don't, Carnell." His voice was also very strained.

I gaped at him, then continued talking. "And that's another thing. Why do you keep calling me Carnell? I thought we were past this last name business. I-"

Suddenly, my back was to the wall, Tom's hand was covering my mouth, and his eyes were seething.

"Stop. Talking. I swear to god, stop talking." I didn't move, scared. This was the side of Tom that I had been scared of since the first day of school, the side of Tom I had seen throughout my years at Hogwarts, when he scolded a younger student or glared at someone.

Tom seemed to realize that I was shaking. His eyes softened, and his hand loosened over my mouth, just a bit.

"If you were anyone else, _Melissa,_ you would probably be- gone." I sucked in a breath. Tom chuckled dryly, and then let his head hang. "But it's you."

I reached up and slowly removed his hand from my mouth.

"What's so special about me?" Tom looked up at me, his jaw set grimly, a look of sadness covering him.

"I don't know. I thought it was your power, but, that's not it." He put a hand on the wall next to me and pushed my hair behind my ear with the other. I didn't stop him.

"It's your intelligence, your innocence, your strength, your beauty, your everything. It calls out to me, like something only I can hear, but every time I get too near you I can feel myself collapsing." He stopped, taking a breath. "The problem is, you don't feel it. It's Valentine's day and-" He clenched the fist near my ear before opening it again and placing it flat on the other side of me. "I know that you had a date with Forester, and that, that just hurts me. I hate it, I hate being near you, I hate _you-_ " My eyes widened.

"-But only because I want you."

I stared at him, uncomprehendingly.

Tom's eyes seemed to be swirling with sadness, two dark orbs reflecting my light ones.

He seemed to be debating something in his head. I was too shocked to move. Was he going to yell at me? Hurt me? Kill me?

"Tom-"

And then, he was kissing me.

A jolt of energy traveled all the way up from my feet making my body feel as if it was burning.

My skin was tingling, my pulse was throbbing, and all I could feel was Tom's lips against mine, like two stars colliding, making my whole body feel like a supernova.

My head was spinning, I was feeling lightheaded, and I was feeling- short of breath.

I suddenly realized that I was leaning into him, kissing him back.

With a gasp, I broke off, my eyes wide, full of disbelief.

Tom drew back, one side of his mouth curling up into a lazy smirk.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Lissa."

He lightly tugged on a strand of my hair before briskly walking out of the alley, shoving his hands into his pockets.

I hadn't moved a muscle, still gaping at the boy who had the strangest mood swings I'd ever seen.

I slowly looked down at my hands, and realized that I was lightly glowing, probably because I was so overwhelmed. Something that had never happened with Zeke. No wonder Tom had been smirking.

I sighed, and slowly sank down, against the wall, trying to sort out my thoughts.

 _What the hell do I do now?_


	22. Chapter 19- Bears and Breakups

"LISSA, LISSA, LISSA!"

I looked up from the piece of parchment I was absentmindedly writing on, as Tessa flew into the dormitory, her blonde hair flying and her eyes gleaming.

"Jordan just asked me to be his girlfriend!" My hands flew to my mouth as I felt a surge of happiness rise up inside of me, happiness that came from the knowledge that my best friend had gotten one of her biggest wishes.

"Tessie! That's amazing!" She laughed as I stood up to hug her, even though she was covered in a light layer of snow. She pulled back and twirled around in a joyful daze, her cheeks bright pink.

"It was sooo perfect. First, he took me to Honeydukes, and we each bought a handful of sweets, oh, you have _got_ to try this treacle fudge I brought you, and then we went on a little walk down this cobblestone path, and _then_ we went to the Three Broomsticks- oh, where did you get that toy bear from?" She broke off in the middle of her ramble, which I had been dozing in and out of, but her question caught me off guard.

"What b- oh, you mean Dexter?" I leaned over and gingerly picked him up by his arm, and waved him around a bit. "Zeke gave him to me."

"Oh, he's so precious!" Tessa squealed, and snatched it out of my hand. I leaned back on my bed, laughing at the sight of a sixteen-year old girl playing with a teddy bear. But, then again, as soon as I had gotten back from Hogsmeade, I had ranted to Dexter for about half an hour, then burst into tears while hugging him to my chest, then started laughing while hugging him, until I finally decided to let go of the bear and begin my Potion's essay.

"He's just a bear, Tess," I said, smirking. She narrowed her eyes at me playfully, then looked thoughtful.

"Anywayyys, Liss, how was your date?"

I sighed, the gears in my mind spinning as I struggled with what to say. I finally settled on the truth, or, at least, most of it.

"Well... at first, Zeke and I went to Madame Puddifoot's." Tessa's eyebrows flew past her hairline. I snickered. "Yeah, it was pretty bad." Tessa seemed at a loss for words, until she doubled over and started giggling.

"Poor Zeke! He's so clueless!" I laughed and idly tugged at my necklace, a habit that had sort of grown on me. _Melissa, now you also have a bracelet_. I released my necklace and started spinning the bracelet, which wasn't as satisfying, but still decreased the jittery feeling of my sorcery inside of me. Tessa caught my movement and gasped.

"Ooh, what's that?" She exclaimed, cocking her head. I smiled at her enthusiasm, and at the warm feeling that rushed through me when I remembered how genuine Zeke had been when gifting the bracelet to me.

"Zeke gave it to me," I admitted. "Along with the teddy bear." Tessa made a soft 'aww-ing' noise and pursed her lips.

"That's literally so sweet."

"I guess." I was still focused on spinning my bracelet, but I realized my words must have sounded suspicious to Tessa. "I mean- I know." However, when I looked up, Tessa was too focused on braiding her hair.

"I'm still listening. Continue your story." I bit my lip.

"That's all we really did. We were gonna go to Honeydukes, but I wasn't feeling too good, so I let Zeke go off with Russell and Cooper while I came back here. I made him promise to get me some raspberry chocolate though."

Tessa gasped. "He left you?!"

I quickly shook my head. "No, no, he wanted to come back with me. But I didn't want to ruin his trip just because of my weird headaches."

Just then, Aly strolled into the room, completely drenched. Tessa and I gaped at her, our eyes popping out of our skulls, while we each tried to come up with the most reasonable explanation for the sight in front of us. Aly had a sheepish expression on her face, and she rocked back and forth on her heels.

Tessa and I both opened our mouths to speak at the same time.

"What happened?" Tessa asked in disbelief while I groaned, "Do I even want to know?"

Aly let out a quiet chuckle before taking of her cloak and piling it into a corner.

"Tyler and I had a snowball fight, until it turn to a snow slush fight, until it turned to him stealing my wand, blasting water at me out of it, and then putting some kind of spell on me that won't let me dry myself." She sighed irritably but I could see a light grin playing on her lips.

Tessa and I exchanged knowing glances behind her back, until I spoke up again.

"Well, do you have your wand now?"

Aly turned to face me. "Nope," she said, popping the p.

"Don't worry Aly, I can help you," Tessa stated, trying not to laugh. Brandishing her wand, she waved it in a complicated figure eight sort of pattern, which I knew would create the Hot Air Charm. A light breeze emerged from the tip of her wand, swirling near Aly. She spread her arms, waiting for the gust of wind, but to her dismay, the breeze seemed to spiral around her, as if avoiding her, before disappearing. Tessa stared down at her wand, confused, and attempted it once more, but to no avail. Aly let out a growl of frustration.

"Damn that boy, I'm so going to get him back for this." I laughed at the look of murder on her face, then pulled out my own wand.

"Do you want me to try?" Aly half heartedly shrugged.

"Go ahead, no one's been able to do anything so far." I closed my eyes, and let the magic surge through me. I waved my wand, and _whoosh,_ a gale of hot wind blew throughout the room. The bedsheets ruffled, the curtains were yanked towards the ceiling, and Tessa and Aly's hair whipped around their faces. I saw the awe in their faces before I broke off the spell, trying not to breathe hard.

My two friends stared at me, shellshocked.

"What- was that?" Aly asked, running a hand over her now dry robes. Tessa didn't seem to be able to speak.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I've been practicing, that's all." A look of disbelief crossed Tessa's face, but she bit her lip, hesitant to accuse me of lying. Aly, however, was straightforward, a look of concern and suspicion on her face.

"PRACTICING? There's no WAY someone could produce a spell that POWERFUL by just PRACTICING?" I winced, knowing that I had overdone it just a little bit on the power. Aly took in a breath, before continuing.

"Look, Lissa, if you're taking some weird kind of potion, then I get it, well, I don't get it, but it at least makes sense, even though those power potions have disastrous side effects, such as turning green and pooping worms-" I mentally choked, while Tessa made a gagging noise. "-But I don't think taking such potions is a good idea, because you'll regret it later, _plus_ you're an Animagi, and it can harm your Animagi form, and-"

"ALY." I interrupted, desperate to stop her lecturing. "I am not taking _any_ power or strength potions." Aly's eyebrows drew together.

"But, then, there's no w-" She stammered.

I let out a breath. "Look, you know how I used to practice spell stuff with Tom, and in the past month or so, by myself?" They both nodded slowly, comprehension settling in. "Well... he showed me ways to control the amount of power you put into each spell, whether it's more or less." I was fibbing, of course, though not entirely. Sure, Tom had taught me how to control my power based on what he had read, but not my witch power, my sorcery power.

Aly and Tessa were staring at me, intrigue visible in their eyes.

"That's so cool!" Tessa exclaimed.

"How'd you do it? Can you teach us?" Aly asked, excited. I twirled a lock of my hair around my finger, trying to figure out what to say.

"Uhh, I will, but, maybe once I've actually figured out how to do it right.." I tossed in a fake chuckle which I was sure they'd pick up on, but instead, they exchanged gleeful looks.

"That sounds amazing!" They shouted at the same time, then immediately began chattering in hyper voices. I sighed and scooted back on my bed until my back was on my headboard.

"Sooo, Aly, what else did you do on you, 'hangout,' besides have a snowball slush water fight?" I asked, wanting to change the subject and desperate to know how the date went.

Aly looked over at me and blushed. "Well, we went to Zonko's and spent our whole time there trying to prank each other. And then he put a fake spider in my hair, which made me scream because you know how much I _hate_ spiders, and then he tried to transform something into a rat, a _rat,_ can you believe it, and tried to stick it down my shirt-"

"Whoaa, hold on," I said, but Aly had gone bright red and was violently shaking her head back and forth. "Not like _that_ , Lissa, you're so dirty minded."

"What?" Tessa asked innocently, her face full of confusion.

"Don't worry about it," Aly and I said in chorus. We looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Tessa pouted a bit, but then sat up with a look of deep concentration. I knew she was going to be thinking over Aly's words for the rest of the day.

Aly sighed. "Anyways, it was pretty great. Basically perfect. How about you guys?" Tessa immediately started bouncing up and down as she recounted her day with Jordan, and before long the room was filled with happy shrieking.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! That sounds bloody incredible!" Aly exclaimed. She quickly turned towards me, her eyes glittering. "What about you Lissa, was your Valentine's Day as perfect as you were hoping it would be?"

"Oh yes it was!" Tessa answered for me. "Except for the part when Zeke acted so clueless and took her to _Madam_ _Puddifoot's!"_ She let out a light laugh, before continuing. "But he got her a teddy bear and a bracelet with a heart on it and I'm pretty sure he went to get her raspberry chocolates even though she had to leave because of a headache. He was a perfect gentleman!"

"That's so sweet!" Aly cried, leaning over to pick up Dexter from Tessa's bed(I didn't realize she still had it).

I shifted uncomfortably as I thought about the events of the day.

Zeke had been a perfect gentleman, hadn't he? Going out of his way to make this special, getting me presents that he knew I would adore, because he knows me best, because he's my- _best friend_. I gulped.

What had I done today? Besides dislike the place he had taken me too, not given him a gift, made up a story of finding my glove, faked a headache, and let someone else kiss me, the one person who Zeke hated more than anything.

My stomach churned.

No, I had _willingly kissed him back._ Despite knowing it was wrong, despite knowing that doing so would make me a lousy girlfriend, despite it being Tom Marvolo Riddle with his constant smirk and coldness and sarcasm and Slytherinness, I had still kissed him back. Because I wanted to.

My eyes involuntarily filled up with tears.

"Lissa, what's wrong?" Tessa asked, immediately noticing my quietness. I didn't respond because I was too busy discussing with inner me.

What should we do? Should I tell Zeke?

No way, he'd be furious.

Well, should I keep it a secret from Zeke?

Definitely not. Keeping secrets is bad for a relationship, plus, you suck at keeping secrets.

Well then that just means I should tell him, right?

Um, did you not hear me the first time? He'd feel so betrayed.

But, then, what do I do? You're not making any sense!

I don't know, it's your choice.

I was dragged back into reality when Aly and Tessa came to sit next to me on my bed.

"Hey, Lissa, want to tell us what's going on?" Aly looked at me, her gaze gentle. "I feel you've been acting different lately." My hand went up to my necklace as I swallowed.

"It's... complicated." Aly and Tessa exchanged knowing looks, the same way Tessa and I had when Aly was talking about Tyler, except this time their gazes were more serious, solemn.

"Is it about Zeke?" Tessa asked hesitantly. For some reason, something inside my heart opened, and it all came rushing out.

"I don't know! It's so weird! One minute I want to be with him, the next minute I don't! It's like, I know exactly who he is, and he knows exactly who I am, but when we're together it's all so different! So complicated and messy! I mean, back then, in our first few years, on Valentine's Day, we got each other Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans, and we would spend hours trying to give each other the gross ones. Now, it's like I have to actually make sure that my present is thoughtful and sweet and meaningful and.. I didn't even get him one!"

Tessa looked flabbergasted. "If this is about the present..," she said dubiously.

"It's not about the present!" I cried. "It's about the expectations, the complexity of it all! I mean, Zeke's a perfect gentleman for a boyfriend, but it's not the same as when he was _my_ Zeke, my best friend, my other half who would play pranks with me and get detention while I would get out of things scot free and practice Quidditch with me and, and, and would just always be there for me, with me, sort of like a brother I never had, you know?"

My voice cracked at the end, and I mentally collapsed, not knowing what else to say. Tessa and Aly were quiet for a minute, before Tessa leaned forwards to hug me.

"Hey, it's gonna be all right, it's all gonna work itself out for you, you'll see." I nodded slowly, wanting to believe her words. I slowly pulled away, to face Aly, who was tapping her fingers on her knee.

"What do you think?" I asked her, hoping she wasn't angry with me. Aly and Zeke were decent friends, especially since they both usually ended up in detention together.

"I think that you should break up with him."

My eyes shot open as Tessa's jaw dropped.

"What?" We both shouted. Aly held out both of her hands in a 'hear me out' sort of way.

"Look, it's obvious that you're not entirely comfortable with this relationship, and who knows, maybe someday you will be, but I don't think now's the right time for it, seeing how conflicted you are. And you staying with him isn't going to help anyone because you're only leading him on, and poor Zeke just has the case of puppy dog love. Just let him down really, _really_ easily, and maybe you guys can go back to being friends again?

"But," The words felt heavy in my mouth. "What is he doesn't want to be friends?"

Aly sighed. "That's not your choice to make. it's his."

I realized how spoiled I sounded. "You're right. That's such a selfish thing to say. It's Zeke's choice whether or not he can be friends with me again. After all, I'm the one not totally contributing to this relationship." Aly chuckled.

"There's the Ravenclaw rational side of you. Anyways, even if you don't have Zeke, you still have us." She spread her arms and gestured to herself and Tessa. I laughed.

"Of course! What would I do without my crazy best friends?" Aly smiled.

"I can help you write the break up speech, make sure it doesn't sound bad, and it portrays you in the villainous light." I rolled my eyes. "Also, be sure that you don't break up with him today. Imagine a poor guy's heart if he got dumped on _Valentine's Day_." I cringed. Imagine being cheated on on Valentine's Day. I was going to hell for this for sure.

"Oh my god!" Tessa suddenly exclaimed. Aly and I both faced her with confusion etched onto our faces. Tessa's eyes were wide. "He stuck a rat _down your shirt_!"

Simultaneous face palm.


	23. Chapter 20-Hopes and Heartbreaks

I left Transfiguration, a neutral expression plastered on my face, but nervous butterflies clawing at me on the inside. Today was the day. I was going to break up with the one person who knew me better than anyone else in the whole entire world.

Aly and Tessa had both been very helpful, writing out a whole speech which was full of long and extravagant reasons to help Zeke understand why we would be better off as just friends, but I had only memorized a few sentences from it and left the parchment up in the dorms.

I knew that Zeke and I were supposed to have our "two month anniversary" date today, which I had personally found stupid because, come on, it was only two months, but I had agreed because I knew it would be the right time to tell him, alone, and in person.

I chewed on my bottom lip as a wave of dread filled me again.

Was I _sure_ I was doing the right thing? Who knows, maybe I actually loved Zeke as more than a friend but just didn't know it. Maybe, if I tried to stay in this relationship, then-

 _CRASH!_

I walked straight into another person as I turned a corner, and all of my books went flying out of my hand.

"Oh my goodness-"

" _Watch where you're goi_ \- oh, Melissa, sorry, I didn't see you there."

Tom smiled at me before kneeling down to help me collect my books. I simply stared, my heartbeat suddenly speeding up. I could feel the magic inside me suddenly start rushing through my veins, and I hoped for both of our sakes that I wouldn't suddenly start glowing.

"Lissa? Did you hear what I said?" Tom's voice cut me out of my thoughts and I blushed, hurriedly bending over to scoop up the rest of my books.

"No, sorry, I was distracted. What was it?" Tom straightened up, depositing the books he had collected in my arms with a light _thud_.

"I asked you if you were doing anything tonight? I want to show you an incredible new spell I mastered."

His eyes were full of eagerness and enthusiasm, and I could feel my heart lift, but then I remembered my plans.

"Um, unfortunately, I can't. I have a... date." The word came out sounding a bit bitter, but Tom didn't seem to hear it. Instead, his eyes clouded over with a bit of disappointment, but he was still collected and cool.

"Well then, I'm not gonna stop you. Have _fun_." He smirked at me, before strolling past me, off to his next class probably. For some reason, I wanted to run after him and tell him what I truly wanted to say, that yes, I did want to spend time with him tonight, more than Zeke. I did.

Ever since Valentine's Day, Tom had decided to go back to being my friend, in a totally normal yet confusing way. We went back to chatting in the library and talking about magic, and all seemed to be good with him. However, he acted as if Valentine's Day never happened. He acted as if he hadn't told me that he was jealous of Zeke, as if he hadn't told me that he wanted me, as if he hadn't kissed me, and as if I hadn't _kissed him back._

And, in a way, I appreciated it, I really did, because it meant that whatever connection we had could wait until I broke things off with Zeke. But what I didn't understand was how he could act so _normal_ , so undisturbed about it. I mean, every time _I_ saw him my hands grew fidgety and I sort of froze, not really knowing what to say. But he, he would sit there and smirk and make jokes and...

I pressed my fingers to my temples. Oh god, I needed to get a hold of myself. I shook my head and let out a breath, heading towards my next class. There was no way I could stay with Zeke, not if _that_ was going to be my thought process every time I even looked at Tom.

I stared out at the lake, the stillness of it, the dark shadows cast by the trees across the crystalline sheen of the water.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Zeke asked softly from beside me. We were perched under a tree near the lake, enjoying the calmness of the night. We were both aware that if we got caught out here by a teacher or a prefect, that there would be hell to pay, but Zeke and I had mastered the art of stealthiness back in our first year.

"Yeah," I responded quietly. Zeke smiled and reached out, taking my hand in his. I involuntarily stiffened and he froze, cocking an eyebrow.

"Lissa, you okay?" He asked. My mouth went dry, and I started to pull my hand out of his, knowing that I shouldn't be leading him on even more.

"Zeke, I-"

"Hey, is that the Giant Squid?" He suddenly exclaimed, jumping to his feet. Puzzled, I stared back towards the lake, only to see a giant ripple dance across the surface.

"Lissa, c'mon!" Zeke ran to the edge of the water, suddenly looking very young. After a moment of hesitation, I followed, slipping off my shoes first so they wouldn't get wet.

I caught up to Zeke, who had splashed right into the water. He turned towards me and grinned, holding out his hand for me to join him. The light of the stars and the castle turned his hair a bright white, and illuminated his face. I could see the playfulness in his eyes, his youth glowing within him, and suddenly, I was taken back to a memory of us in our second year.

* _Flashback*_

 _"Zeke, wait!" I laughed as he darted straight into the water, droplets flying everywhere._

 _"Melissa, you're too slow!"_

 _"How do you know the giant squid's not gonna eat you?" I stared at him, arms crossed in front of me, the night wind blowing my hair across my face. He grinned, and I could see his teeth glow in the light of the full moon._

 _"It won't. I've already met him, and we're friends now. His name's Gerald, in case you were wondering." I scrunched up my nose, and he let out a chuckle. "Oh, just come on!"_

 _Smiling, I carefully took a couple steps into the water, then immediately twirled with my arms out, letting water fly out everywhere. Zeke jumped and fell backwards trying to avoid getting hit, which resulted in him getting completely soaked. I doubled over laughing, and Zeke glared at me playfully._

 _"Thanks a lot, Lissa." I shrugged and made an innocent face, but he just splashed me. I shrieked and tried to splash him back, but he was too quick. He darted backwards and kicked some more water towards me, laughing at my look of frustration. I felt a will to completely drench him, and suddenly, I felt a shock run through my body. I extended my arms and felt a pull, a tug inside of me. I knew that I was somehow in control of the water around me. I smirked evilly and stared at Zeke, who immediately paled._

 _Suddenly, his eyes landed on something near my feet._

 _"Lissa, look!" I looked down and saw a dark, tentacle looking thing disappearing into the water. I screamed and released my hold on whatever magic I had been using and ran out of the water, heading for the tree closest to me._

 _"Melissa, Melissa, slow down, I told you, it's okay, it isn't going to hurt you!" Zeke was laughing as he chased me onto the grass, where I turned to face him, a look of horror mixed with astonishment on my face._

 _"It was, it was, it was a squid! Oh my god, I nearly touched the giant squid! Ew! How do you think my parents would've felt if they got a letter home saying 'We're sorry to inform you that your daughter was eaten by the giant squid!'" Zeke just cracked up even more, and I let out a huff of irritation._

 _"Lissa, I told you, the squid and I are friends. His name's Gerald, and he's actually really shy." I rolled my eyes, but my lips curled up at the corners anyway. Zeke was just like that. He was good at making people laugh. Zeke ran a hand through his white blonde hair, and I plopped down on the grass, staring up at him with interest._

 _"Friends, huh? Is he a better friend than me?" Zeke sat down too, stretching his legs out._

 _"Oh, definitely. He gives the best Christmas presents." I shook my head at him, but he just grinned. "Nah, I'm just joking, You're a better friend by far. We're best friends, aren't we?" He said it in a joking tone, but his voice held a note of uncertainty._

 _I smiled. "Of course we're best friends. For life."_ _Suddenly, I saw a star flying_ _through the sky._

 _"Zeke, look! A shooting star!" I gasped as it shot past us overhead._ _"Quick! Make a wish!"_

 _I closed my eyes and tried to think of what I could wish for. Besides me, I heard Zeke hum a little, and it made me smile._

 _That was it. In my mind I thought, I wish Zeke and I could stay friends forever._

 _When I opened my eyes, Zeke was staring at me with curiosity visible in his eyes._

 _"Whadja wish for?" He asked. I gave him my best 'can't tell ya' look, and smirked._

 _"Haven't you heard, Forester? It doesn't come true if you say it out loud."_

 _"Aww, you can tell me," he protested, but he was smiling. I laughed and shook my head. "C'mon, just give me a hint!"_

 _I sighed. "Fine. I wished for something, something about our friendship." The moment I said it I worried I sounded weird, cheesy even. But Zeke just looked at me, his eyes sparkling._ _I held his gaze as he beamed, and in that moment he seemed to glow, his face full of energy as his hair flashed in the moon's light._

 _*End Flashback*_

I was jolted back to the present as Zeke patiently held his hand out, and suddenly, it was as if the carpet had been pulled out from underneath me.

"Zeke," I started uncertainly, taking a hesitant step back. Zee's expression folded and he dropped his hand. He took on a guarded look.

"Yeah..?"

I sighed, and could feel my heart throbbing. "Zeke, we're best friends, right?" His expression was confused.

"Right, but-"

"And we're best friends... for life."

Zeke didn't say anything. He seemed to know what was on my mind.

"And I will always love you, because you're my best friend."

Zeke stared.

"But, I don't, well, I don't think-"

"That we should go out." His voice was cold, hard, and held a note of hopelessness. He met my eyes, and I could see a glint of the boy who had taught me how to ride a broom and sneak out of the common room and open the secret passageway to Honeyduke's. I wanted to reach out and hug him, but I didn't. I just nodded.

The gates came down in his eyes, shutting me out. Zeke didn't let too many people into his inner circle, and I had a feeling that I had just gotten myself kicked out of it.

"Zeke-" I started, desperate to try and fix the situation, but Zeke held up a hand, staring down at his feet,

"Melissa, don't." We fell back into silence, and I could feel his sorrow radiating off of him in waves. Finally, he spoke.

"Just tell me one thing, and I want the truth. Honesty is a key part of friendship." I swallowed, but nodded.

He looked up, staring at me, and I could feel his gaze piercing through mine.

"Was it because of Riddle?" My eyes widened for a fraction of a second, but Zeke saw it, and clenched his jaw.

"I got my answer then." He started towards the school, and I instinctively followed him.

"No, it wasn't just that, it was also-"

"Spare me the lies, Melissa, and please don't follow me. I'm not really in the mood to listen to anything else you have to say." I shut my mouth and froze, hurt.

 _You deserve it, Lissa, you were a horrible friend, well, girlfriend_ , I told myself, but that didn't stop the tears from welling up in my eyes. I hurriedly wiped them away, and watched as Zeke made his way to the front of the school, disappearing inside.

 _Well, I guess it's just you now. Congratulations Melissa, you did it. You officially ruined a perfectly good friendship_. I slid on my shoes and headed towards the back of the school, deciding that it would be better if I didn't make it look as if I was following Zeke.

I reached the steps that lead to the door and slowly trodded up them, one at a time. When I was about seven steps up, I heard a giggle. I looked over my shoulder, but there was no one behind me. _W_ _eird_. Then, I heard a laugh, a girl's laugh, a very familiar breathy laugh. I slowly edged my way over to the stair rail and peeked over the top, out at the lake.

There was a boy and a girl standing on the banks of the lake. The boy had his wand out and was making the water rise in beautiful waves, and blue sparkles were glimmering all around him. The girl looked entranced, and as she turned her eyes up to look at him, a sheet of red hair fell over her shoulder.

The boy looked back at her, smiling fondly.

A wave of jealousy rushed over me, blurring my vision, roaring in my ears, making my hands feel static.

Tom said something to Callie which made her blush, and she giggled again, a noise that sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

I stood there, wanting to cry, as she playfully tilted her head and replied to him, which made him smirk. I clenched the rails so hard that my fingers turned white.

Then, Callie did the unthinkable. She leaned over and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning into him. Tom didn't pull away, his fingers going to her hair.

Suddenly, there was a low hissing noise. I looked down at my hands, startled, and saw that my hands had burned through the railing. A pile of ash was lying at my feet, faintly glowing purple.

I gasped, turning away from the lake. I suddenly felt as if I were about to vomit, and I quickly sat down, taking in deep breaths and trying to get my power under control.

Above me, a star whizzed past Hogwarts, carrying hopeful hearts and desires.

 _Make a wish, Melissa._

 **Enjoy! And review!**

 ** _~Calliope Brown 3_**


	24. Chapter 21-Speeches and Support

I walked briskly down the hall, feeling uneasy.

My pulse was fluttering, my body was overheating, my eyes were darker than normal, turning a deep indigo, nearly violet shade. I hadn't gotten any sleep the night before, seeing how I felt like I was getting electrocuted every five seconds, and I had a massive headache.

Not to mention, my feelings were spilling out from behind a badly constructed dam. This morning, as soon as I had gotten out of bed after attempting to sleep for a mere five hours, I had left the common room, not wanting to face any of my friends, if they still even liked me. I had paced the hallways anxiously, not knowing whether to break down or cry or scream.

 _Calm down, Melissa._ I had been talking to myself all morning. _You broke up with Zeke for a reason. You knew it wasn't the right thing. You were the one who chose to date him in the first place. You also couldn't have expected Tom to just wait around for you. He can do whatever he wants to do. It's his life. Callie's one of your best friends. And it doesn't matter if he told you that he preferred you that night in the tower, or gave you a necklace, or kissed you on Valentine's Day. What matters is that they are together and happy, and you finally listened to your heart and made a smart decision by breaking up with Zeke._

I turned into the Hospital Wing, knowing that there wouldn't be anyone in there. It was breakfast time, after all. No one got hurt during breakfast. It was almost unheard of.

"Madame Goldleaf?" I called out, stepping past the rows of cots. There was no response. I sighed and sat down on a cot, feeling jittery yet exhausted at the same time.

" 'Ello? Did someone call mah name?" Madame Goldleaf stepped into the room, peering at me through squinted lids. She was a short, round witch with golden hair fading into gray and eyes the color of a stormy cloud. She always wore faded robes with a black button pinned over her heart, in memory of her husband who had died because of an infected dragon bite, as she had once told me. She was a kind woman, yet had a tongue sharper than a knife. "What is it girlie?"

"Um, I was wondering if you had something to calm the nerves, or cool the body down." Madame Goldleaf raised an eyebrow, and I hurried to explain. "You see, I accidentally mixed a wrong ingredient in to my cauldron in Potions, and we tested it on ourselves. My nerves are feeling all buzzy and electric, and I was unable to get a wink of sleep last night. Is there anything you can give me to help?"

I wrung my hands together as Madame Goldleaf let out a sigh. "Lemme see what I have in the back." She quickly disappeared behind a curtain, and I leaned back against the headboard.

This was the same bed I had lay on when I had gotten knocked off my broom in Quidditch. It had only been a couple of months, I realized. A few months since I had despised Tom, yet he had still visited me in the Hospital Wing, giving me books and promising me that Flint wouldn't bother me again. Although, I never really figured out what he had done to ensure that.

I was broken out of my reverie by Madame Goldleaf clambering out, holding two potions in each hand.

"Sorry hun, I don't seen anythin' that can help ya. Not calm the nerves, that is. I can concoct a quick potion that'll help ya get some sleep, if ya want." I felt a quick pang of disappointment, but I quickly shook my head, trying to smile.

"No, it's okay. Thanks though." Madame Goldleaf flashed me a sad look before walking over to a cabinet and filing the potions inside, making sure they were labelled properly. I sat on the bed for a couple more minutes, pondering where I should go from there, when suddenly Madame Goldleaf let out a delighted cry.

"My spectacles! I found them!" I looked up, confused, only to see her slide a pair of thick rimmed spectacles onto her nose.

"Why didn't you just _Accio_ them?" I asked softly, but Madame Goldleaf still heard it.

"Eh? Well, I guess I just din't think bout that," she admitted, turning back towards me. Suddenly, as her eyes landed on me, she let out a horrified gasp. I drew back in alarm as her hands went to her face.

"Goodness gracious girl, you look _terrible_! What on earth did you drink? Your face is flushed, your eyes are bloodshot, your body seems to be vibrating, and you look absolutely crestfallen!"

I was almost scared as she immediately whirled around and started tearing through her cabinet almost viciously, something specific in her mind. I swallowed, nervous.

She let out a triumphant shout as she yanked a small vial out from behind a long row of Skelegrow. It was thin, small, and bright red, but she looked at it as if it were made of pure gold. She slowly made her way towards me, being sure not to drop it or tilt it at all.

"Well, Alyssa-"

"Melissa," I said quietly. Madame Goldleaf _tsk_ ed and held the vial out as she took a seat on the bed next to me.

"You've obviously had a rough day, or night, or week, or what do I know? You're obviously going through something, I can see it in your eyes." I blinked, and stared into her softening eyes.

"Now, I may not be the smartest ole lady or the prettiest, but I do know some things from all my years on this planet." She paused, then brushed a strand of hair behind my ear in an almost motherly gesture. "You have good days, and you have bad days, but don't let yah'self get too caught up in which is which. Don't spend ya time here worrying about what's gonna happen tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that. Just live each day tryna be the best you can be, and enjoying these beautiful days and nights as much as you can, whether you're with someone else o' by yourself."

She stopped, then pressed the vial into my hand. I felt the cold kiss of the glass and tightened my fingers around it, already feeling my palm cooling down.

"Now, you take this here, and you drink it all. It'll help ya, not by calming your nerves or anythin' like that, but it'll help ya focus, help ya think straight a bit. Thinking is a key step in life that people often forget about. But, you're a Ravenclaw, which means you must be smart. Me, I was a Hufflepuff myself. Couldn't think past mah nose." She chuckled to herself, then stood up, still muttering a bit to herself. I smiled in amused bewilderment, staring at the little potion in my hands.

Should I take it? Could it truly help me?

I sighed, then slowly uncapped it, feeling the little wooden peg come off the top with a loud _PLOP!_ I held the vial up to the light, watching the glistening red liquid slowly swirl around, it's hues of orange and scarlet blending into one another.

"Oh, and Alyssa, once ya drink that, go take a nice, hot, bath." Madame Goldleaf advised from the corner. I stifled a laugh, which turned into a grimace when I caught sight of my reflection in a little mirror I hadn't noticed before. I was glowing in an unhealthy, sickly way. Madame Goldleaf had been right. My eyes were completely red and puffy and my body was shaking, although that was probably just from my magic.

All right, this was enough. Tilting my head back, I emptied the contents of the bottle into my mouth, instantly swallowing it before I was overwhelmed with the bitter taste.

Gagging a bit, I waited patiently, feeling my mind spinning.

What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?

Why aren't my feelings going away?

How do I turn my magic off?

What the bloody hell do I do?

And then, it hit me.

What was it Madame Goldleaf had said? Enjoy the days, even if you were by yourself? Well, that was exactly what I was going to do. I was going to enjoy the second to last year here at Hogwarts, and I didn't need a guy to help me. I mean, come on! I was a Ravenclaw for heavens sake! One who thinks with her mind, not her heart!

Tom Marvolo Riddle could kiss whoever he wanted. So could Zeke. And so could I! Because I was free now, free to spend the days with my friends, with my broom, and with myself, doing whatever I wanted to do.

I realized I was grinning and had stopped shaking. My stomach had stopped churning and my migraine was gone. Amazingly, I was feeling absolutely fine.

I stood up, still smiling, and looked over at Madame Goldleaf, who was still filing potions in the corner

"Thanks Madame Goldleaf." I said, strolling towards the door. I could almost feel her puzzlement yet sense of relief at the fact that I seemed normal again.

"Ya know what you're gonna do?" She called after me. I stopped, and turned around to face her, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Yeah." I shrugged. "I'm going to go take a nice, hot bath."

 **Aaaand it's a double update! Tom will be back next chapter, don't worry! ;)**

 **Enjoy!**  
 **~ _Calliope Brown 3_**


	25. Chapter 22- Captains and Cookbooks

"Didn't see you at breakfast," Tom commented as I plopped myself down into my chair.

We were in the library, which was slightly crowded. I unrolled a scroll of parchment and sighed, leaning back in my chair.

"Yeah, I wasn't really feeling too well," I fibbed, pulling out a sugar quill and idly biting on one end.

Tom studied my face warily, then suddenly raised an eyebrow.

"I, uh, heard about you and Forester." I could feel his gaze on me, waiting and watching for my reaction. I shrugged nonchalantly, not caring.

"What about us? The fact that we broke up?" My blunt tone seemed to surprise him, and he frowned a bit.

"Yes, the fact that you broke up. And also the fact that he was quite put off with you."

"Hm." I made a sound of indifference and focused on my stupid History of Magic essay. As if I would need to know who the fourth person to be impeached from the Minister of Magic position was.

Tom stared at me for a bit, looking like he was mentally calculating something.

"So I take it you're not upset that your best friend since first year hates you?" I looked up at him with a bored expression.

"It's not like he was my _only_ friend, Tom," I said, rolling my eyes. He put his hands up in a _'I was just saying_ ' manner, and I let out a huff, letting my eyes flicker over the few sentences I had written so far.

We sat in silence for a couple of minutes, until Tom decided to break the silence again.

"Melissa, don't hex me, but I've noticed that you're acting a bit odd."

I scribbled out a hasty conclusion for my essay, then rolled it back up, glaring at Tom.

"You're right, I am acting different today." Tom opened his mouth, but I cut him off. "You know why? Because I realized that I need to stop focusing on my stupid love life and start focusing on enjoying the rest of this year, with my real friends who don't place expectations on me. Also, I just realized that I have a Quidditch match coming up next weekend against Gryffindor, and we _need_ to win in order to have a chance at the Quidditch Cup. And dating someone was just taking away time from Zeke and I to practice for it. So forgive me if I'm not crying or writing sad songs because of one breakup."

I shoved the parchment back in my bag, irritated beyond belief. How dare he question _my_ actions when he was the one kissing me, then my friend, and then expecting me to just act how he wanted me to.

"Melissa, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, I was just concerned," Tom said, looking startled, but I waved him off. My anger was quickly dissolving, and I wasn't really in the mood to be mad at him.

"It's fine, whatever, look, I just don't think having boyfriend is on my list of priorities right now. For now, winning the Quidditch Cup and passing my exams come first, and then having fun with friends. That's it. Period."

I let out a breath and stretched my arms out in front of me, smiling when I realized I had just finished all of my homework. Perfect. It would be a great day to hold practice.

"Why is winning the cup so important to you?" Tom asked, his eyes alight with curiosity. I bit my lip, his question awakening my own self conscience.

"I don't know exactly," I admitted. "I mean, everyone _wants_ their house to win, and I have all the pressure on me because I'm captain. But, I guess I've always had the dream to get my name on one of those plaques, you know? The ones that people are awarded when they're really good Quidditch players and are displayed forever in the Trophy Room." I blushed when I admitted it.

"Interesting," Tom said, letting out a chuckle. "But why do you want a plaque so bad?"

I shrugged. "Quidditch has always been my biggest specialty. Well, besides the whole sorcery thing but I didn't know about that till this year. I've never been the smartest or the bravest or the funniest. But Quidditch, I've loved playing it, since I first touched a broom in my first year, with Zeke's help of course. And I know that it's really hard to get something dedicated to you here at Hogwarts, well, maybe not for you, I know you got that Special Award for Service to the School-" I shook my head in disbelief. "-But it's been a goal of mine."

"I did get a Special Award, didn't I?" He muttered, smirking. My serious mood gone, I chucked my quill at him, which he dodged easily.

"You cocky prat!" He laughed.

"Don't worry, Lissa, your time will come."

Suddenly, there was a noise behind me, a slight cough. I turned around in my seat, only to see a boy year with shaggy brown hair and light blue eyes standing near a bookshelf, rifling through books. It was Peter Burrow, the seventh year Gryffindor seeker and captain. It was obvious that he had been eavesdropping on Tom and I, rather than actually picking out a book, seeing how he was looking through a section of cooking books.

When he saw me looking at him, he slightly flushed, but then covered it up with a smile.

"Oh, hey Lissa," He said, sliding out a random book. "I didn't see you there."

I smirked. "Uh huh. Looking for a great meal to cook?" He looked down at the book in his hands and laughed, blushing.

"All right, you caught me."

I let my chin rest on my hands, and tilted my head.

"Why were you _eavesdropping_ on us, Pete?" He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head.

"Uhh..." I stared at him imploringly, until he cracked. "All right, all right, I'm trying to find out what kind of tactics you're gonna be using for the match next weekend." I mock gasped.

"Oh my goodness, who would've thought that Gryffindors could be such _snakes_?" I heard Tom let out a noise of disapproval, but I ignored him. Pete chuckled, hearing the sarcasm in my voice.

"Yeah, I know, but I'm getting desperate here. Everybody knows that you're the best Chaser of the decade." I smiled.

"Aw, that's sweet." He grinned. "Butttt, I'm not gonna tell you what we have planned." His face dropped, but he was still joking around.

"Dang, that sucks. Well, guess that's more 4 am practices for us, then!" He threw his hands up and raised his eyebrows. "My team's gonna love me!"

I laughed, understanding what he meant. Quidditch teams had a tendency to hate their captains before a big match because of all the early morning practices. But they just had to suck it up and deal with it. The Quidditch cup was worth it,

"I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm totally not sorry."

He pushed the book back into its place and seemed like he was going to come over, when suddenly his face became an expression of startlement at something behind me. I turned, only to see Tom reading a book. He didn't seem to be paying attention to our conversation. I turned back to Pete, who was looking a bit awkward.

"Well, I guess I'll see you on the pitch next weekend, Melissa." He turned quickly and strode off. I stared after him, feeling confused.

 _That was weird._

I faced Tom again, who had put his book down, and was glaring at me.

I made a face. "What now?"

"What happened to the girl who said ' _I need to stop focusing on my love life?'_ " He stared pointedly at me, and I stared at him, puzzled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He rolled his eyes and let out a disappointed sigh.

"Burrow was flirting with you, Melissa." He spoke in a very matter of fact, irritated tone. I was taken by surprise for a minute, but then realized that it had been obvious: all the blushing and the smiling.

"Oh, so? It's not like I'm interested." Tom raised an eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that! I mean, he's cute and all, buut I'm not really into the baby blue eyes." Tom made a noise of disbelief in the back of his throat, and I glowered at him. Suddenly, his face changed, from an angry expression to an arrogant smirk that slowly began to spread across his face.

"So what colored eyes _are_ you into, then?" I knew what he was doing. I widened my eyes innocently.

"Green eyes." His eyes narrowed to slits, and I smiled triumphantly, standing up.

"I've got to go, I need some flying time." I began to walk away, when he called after me.

"This conversation isn't over, you know. We'll talk later."

Nope. I did not want to go back into the flirty territory with Tom. I knew all too well what would happen. Besides, stories of Tom breaking other girls' hearts had been passed around the school before. If Callie wanted to be next on his list, then she could be my guest. But I wasn't looking for any drama. Besides, I thought Tom and I would be better off as friends... for now.

 **Don't worry, don't worry. More Tolissa will come! But if you guys are expecting her to keep running back to Tom, well that's not going to happen... yet :D Remember, Melissa and Tom have a whole 'nother year at Hogwarts! But there will be some drama coming up shortly. *gasps, then realizes that I already know what it is***

 **Anyways, I have good news! I finally found people who look like Melissa, Aly, and Tessa! Here they are-**

 **Melissa Carnell - Amanda Lajcaj**

 **Tessa Davis - Erin Heatherton**

 **Alyssa Clearwater - Danielle Knudson**

 **They're all practically spot on for the type of people I imagine when I write up this story, If you guys want any more actors or actresses assigned to any character in particular, let me know!** **Anyways, review!**

 **~ _Calliope Brown 3_**


	26. Chapter 23- Magic and Memories

When was this game going to end?

I groaned in frustration as the wind whipped through my ears, rain pelting heavily on my back. I could barely see or hear anything. Dark gray storm clouds churned even louder as I squinted through my lashes. The charm I had used on my face must've been wearing off, because I could feel gallons of water running down my body, making me feel as if I was crying.

Pete Burrow flew near me, smirking.

"ALL RIGHT THERE, MEL?" he asked-shouted through the booming thunderclap that shook through the sky. I threw him a beseeching look. It was his fault we were playing in this storm, after all. We had been scheduled to play in the third weekend of February, after all. However, an unknown Slytherin had apparently hexed Burrow in the... genitals, which had resulted in him having to stay in the hospital wing for a couple of weeks, although still I wasn't sure if he could have kids in the future. The Quidditch schedule had been rearranged to us playing Hufflepuff, whom we had flown into the ground, 570-10, until Pete had recovered. Our game had then been rescheduled until after Gryffindor played Hufflepuff, which had once again resulted in a loss for the poor Badgers. It was now MAY, and the much desired match had finally been scheduled, on the rainiest day of the month.

"HAVING TROUBLE SITTING ON YOUR BROOM, BURROW?" I shouted back, water getting in my mouth. "IT SURE CAN'T BE TOO COMFORTABLE AFTER WHICHEVER LITTLE SLYTHERIN REMOVED YOUR-" Another boom of thunder drowned out the rest of what I was going to say, and I saw Pete grimace.

Suddenly, I saw a flash of red come at me from the side, and I managed to catch the Quaffle with the tips of my fingers just as a Gryffindor Chaser zoomed by me. Throwing Burrow one last glare, I sped towards the hoop, or, where I knew the hoop was, seeing how I couldn't make anything out through the rain. Suddenly, something bumped my hip- _hard-_ and I heard a whistle in my ear as one of the Gryffindor chasers yanked the ball out of my arms as he swooped past me. I yelled in frustration, then stopped. Carefully, I extended my arms to where I knew the Chaser to be, and flicked the end of my hand. A flash of purple light erupted from my hands and I heard the Chaser let out a cry of alarm. The ball flew back into my hand and I heard the Chaser's cries getting further and further below me.

Oops. Was that considered cheating? Oh well, I couldn't care less.

I hurled myself through the drizzle at full speed, praying that Zeke would just catch the stupid snitch already. I had no clue if we were winning or losing, but I was too tired to care. We had been playing for about six hours now, and my muscles were shutting down.

"MELISSA, OVER HERE!" I heard Sara scream from somewhere near me. I through the Quaffle into the downpour, hoping it would end up in her arms somehow. My arm dropped back to my side numbly, and I blinked drowsily as the rain picked up, which I hadn't even thought possible.

 _Come on Melissa, you have to win this. Win this and you have a chance at the Cup._

A clap of lightning pierced through the stormy clouds, and I heard some startled shrieks. I stared at it, the brief flash, mesmerized, until something hit me from behind.

A damn Bludger.

Gasping in pain, I flipped in the air, hanging on to the broom, cursing inwardly. Where was my sorcery energy when I needed it? I felt a wave of exhaustion pass over me and I gulped, desperate to stay strong. But my eyes were closing, and my mouth felt dry, and my back was throbbing...

And then I heard a whistle, it's noise amplified by magic, pierce through the air.

"ZEKE FORESTER CAUGHT THE SNITCH! RAVENCLAW WINS... AFTER SIX AND A HALF HOURS!" I heard a loud cheer of victory, and I let out a loud whoop of relief as I grasped the broom tight and shot towards the ground. As I neared the pitch, I could see a swarm of blue mobbing Zeke. I descended and approached near the huddle, not wanting to get too close. Zeke and I were still not on speaking terms. I had sort of ignored the fact that the relationship had ever happened and tried to go back to normal terms, but Zeke was still very stiff towards me. It might not have helped that I hung around with Tom a lot and started talking to a bunch of other boys recently.

Sara and Collin saw me approach and ran forwards to suffocate me in a bear hug.

"We did it!" Sara cried out, rain streaming down her face. "We made it into the finals!" I smiled at her and Collin's young, enthusiastic faces and slung an arm around each of them.

"All thanks to you two! You're both going to be _fantastic_ captains when you get older." Both of their jaws dropped, and I grinned. I suddenly felt eyes on me and I glanced up, meeting Zeke's gaze. He stared at me for a moment, and my hand went up to my necklace, a habit that had been engraved into my brain. His eyes fixated on the necklace, and his jaw tightened slightly. Right. I had taken off the bracelet he had given me, feeling that it might've been rude, but it had just made him more distant. Zeke looked back into my eyes and nodded slightly, a nod that showed acknowledgement over a shared victory.

If I had still been completely focused on what he thought of me, I might have tried to go up to him and win his forgiveness, but instead, I stayed put right where I was. Suddenly, there came a distinct cough from behind me. I turned round to see a grinning Pete Burrow facing me.

"Nice moves out there, Melissa," he said casually, leaning against his broom.

"I would say the same for you, _Burrow_ , except for the fact that, uh, your team lost." I smirked at him, feeling daring. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Aly, who had also been swarmed by fans, winking discreetly at me. I trued to ignore her and focus on Pete. I didn't even find him attractive, but it was fun teasing him.

"Ouch, you got me there. It's unfortunate though, seeing how it's my last year and everything." I shrugged my shoulders, an ' _I don't care'_ expression on my face. If he was trying to play the pity card, it wasn't working. He laughed.

"Well, good game then, Melissa. Maybe if you become an International Quidditch player like I am in the future, we'll play each other again." He held out his hand for a handshake, and I stared at it for a moment, before stretching out my own.

"Maybe," I said, smiling. He grinned and clasped my hand once, firmly, before turning it over and pressing his lips to it. My mouth opened in an ' _o_ ' before he had dropped it and was walking away towards the rest of his team.

"He doesn't learn, does he?" A voice said from behind me. Startled, I whirled around, only to meet a pair of dark eyes. Tom stood there, crossing his arms, glaring towards Pete. His hair was soaked from the rain, and it pressed against his forehead, giving him a brooding look. I felt my heart jump a little as he turned his gaze towards me.

"What did you say?" I asked, not really paying attention. Tom chuckled darkly.

"Nothing, don't worry." We began walking towards the corner of the pitch, like habit. Tom would normally come down to the pitch after my Quidditch practice and we would walk around, talking for a while, like _friends_. Our conversations would often wary, from light topics such as the length of Professor Dumbledore's beard, who Tom seemed to despise for some reason, to more serious topics, such as my relation to Rowena Ravenclaw.

However, I made sure that the topics never swerved anywhere towards Valentine's Day. Tom seemed to notice that I was adamantly ignoring any romantic spark between us, and being wise, he chose to keep his mouth shut about it. However, he did not seem to like the fact that I had started talking to many more guys after Zeke and I broke up, seeing how he would grip his books tightly whenever I stopped to talk to one and how his knuckles would turn white.

But, I didn't care what he thought about it. It wasn't as if I belonged to him, or anyone for that matter. I could do what I wanted.

"What did you think of the game?" I asked, letting my drenched hair down from its tight ponytail. Rain was still pouring on my face, and I still had to raise my voice in order to speak to him. Tom raised his wand and muttered an incantation, and something flared out from the tip of it, spreading over our heads.

"An umbrella," I gasped, then immediately felt dumb for not casting the charm myself. Tom laughed a little, before answering.

"Well, I think you are very talented, and are definitely worthy of a plaque in this school-"

"Well, thank you." I said cockily, mock curtsying. He let out another one of those laughs I liked, a little breath of laughter, as if I had caught him by surprise.

"-And I also think your fourth year Chaser is good, too." I frowned, not at his words, but the underlying meaning of them.

"What about the rest of my team?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Weeeell, your keeper is a bit too eager with his moves, your beaters seem to have more of an eye for girls than for Bludgers, your friend Alyssa is good, but thinks that her talent can make up for her lack of practice, and your friend Zeke is an idiot for ignoring you during practices and matches when you can obviously give him good strategies in order to win." My mouth dropped.

"Excuse me? Who do you think you are, insulting _my team_?" I glared at him, but he just held up his hands.

"Hey, I'm a Slytherin, remember? I'm not going to like all Ravenclaws."

"But you like me and Sara."

"Sara and I, you mean. And of course I like you, we're friends, and Sara just reminds me of you, I guess." I huffed, his explanation not very good, and crossed my arms.

"So if my team isn't good, according to you, then how come we won?"

"Easy. The Gryffindor captain is a thick skulled, blithering, _idiot_ , and so his team follows suit." I let out a half choke, half laugh, and turned towards him.

" _Tom!"_

He was laughing. "What? It's true, and you know it! That move with him kissing your hand, what, did he think it was going to work?" He chuckled again, but I caught a glimpse of something brewing behind his eyes, something dark.

"Well, it might have, you never know." He scoffed.

"Melissa, I know you, he is not your type." I put my hands on my hips defiantly.

"You don't know that do you? Maybe I have a secret fetish for Gryffindor Quidditch players with baby blues." I was riling him up, I knew it.

Tom clucked his tongue. "You told me last week that you didn't like him, or his blue eyes."

"Maybe I was lying."

"But you weren't."

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

"But how?"

"I can read your mind."

"What?" I stared at him like he was insane, but he just shook his head in amusement. "I'm kidding. Besides, aren't you a trained Occlumens?" He was right, I was. But then why did his words about reading my mind suddenly startle me so badly? Maybe it was because I knew that he was a pretty powerful wizard. Or maybe it was because I was slightly scared of him reading my mind, especially since I didn't know what his intentions were in life.

I let out a breath, feeling kind of weird. Tom seemed to sense my change in mood. "You okay?" He asked, his brow furrowing. I looked at him and frowned. For some reason, trying to dig too deep into Tom's character always put me off slightly. I mean, with me, he was his normal, friendly self But I couldn't help but remember all the times I had seen him make scathing remarks or lose his temper, normally scaring his victim in the process.

"I'm... fine?" Oops, that sounded too much like a question.

"I was just kidding, you know, about the whole reading minds thing. I'd never do that, even if I could." I nodded. He sighed. Suddenly, something lit up behind his eyes. "What are you doing tonight?"

Um, what?

"I don't know," I said hesitantly. "There's probably going to be a part tonight in the common room, after our win and all that." He smiled at that, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his robes.

"Welllll, do you think you could sneak out? Maybe come meet me by the lake, around say, elevenish?" His normally cold eyes were full of excitement, and I felt his eagerness practically radiate off of him.

"Uh, sure, but why?" Tom leaned towards me, as if he was about to share a secret.

"Remember the spell I told you I mastered?" I nodded, slowly. "Well, you still haven't seen it."

O H. That spell. The one that I had seen him performing in front of Callie, with the water and the blue magic and the _kiss_ and whatnot. A wave of disgust rolled over me.

"You mean the sparkly waves thing? Yeah, I've seen it." Tom drew back.

"What?" I shook my head.

"Nothing." Tom didn't seem to think it was nothing, however. His mind seemed to be spinning, trying to decipher my words. Something seemed to change behind his eyes, and I thought I saw a click of understanding.

"Oh, Melissa, I-" We kept walking, up into the school. We were at the entrance when he grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him.

"Listen, come meet me on the banks of the Great Lake, eleven sharp. I'll be waiting there for you. I think I know, um, why you might not want to, but just trust me, okay?" His eyes were insistent, and I sighed, taking a step back, reminding myself of my limits.

"We'll see, Tom. I have priorities, okay? And team victories come before... Slytherin friends who say they have something to show you. That just sounds suspicious."

Tom's eyebrows shot to the roof, and he coughed to cover a laugh.

"Uh, okay then Lissa." He grinned a bit, his eyes gleaming mischievously, in a totally not attractive way, and I shook my head. Why did I say that?

His expression turned solemn again as a few students brushed by us, anxiously looking at Tom.

"Well, I guess I'll maybe see you tonight." He gave me a half hearted wave before striding over to some of his Slytherin buddies. I watched as his face instantly transformed from the open, innocent face it had been with me to a cold, dominating sneer. I grimaced. Why did he have to change so drastically when he wasn't with me?

Suddenly, I felt two arms wrap around me from behind.

"Party time!" Aly sang into my ear. I grinned as she began pushing me up toward the stairs, towards the feast that I knew would be waiting.

I lounged in an armchair, bored out of my wits. At first, the party had been thrilling, fun. Everyone had proposed toasts, to Zeke, the star, to me, the captain, to Collin, the poor boy who had nearly died of happiness, for being such a damn good Keeper. But then, the fire whiskey started settling in and everyone became just a little tipsy. And trust me, for those of you who say Ravenclaws don't get drunk, oh yes we do.

"Faris Spavin, former Minister of Magic, was Minister for thirty eight years, the longest known duration of Minister position," a fifth year squeaked tipsily next to me. I sighed. For some reason, it took a lot to get me "giggly drunk", and fortunately or unfortunately, I had not had that much to drink tonight.

I caught sight of Tessa half asleep on Jordan on a couch in the corner, and I heard Aly's voice laughing drowsily in a corner, along with someone else. _Hopefully Tyler,_ I thought. I glanced at the clock in the corner of the room. Only a quarter to eleven. Technically, I could still make it to Tom and I's... meeting. But did I want to?

I bit my lip as I pondered my options, then decided I was going to go stir crazy staying cooped up in here. Grabbing my cloak from a corner, I made my way past many buzzed Ravenclaws and out the door, casting a _Silencio_ on the squeaky hinge. I tiptoed down the stairs and crept through the dark halls, making sure not to let any of the paintings to my presence. Zeke and I had snuck out many times before, so this was nothing new to me, although I did feel a little bad, seeing how I was a prefect and all.

Once I was outside, I wrapped the cloak tighter around me and slowly made my way to where I knew Tom would be waiting. Luckily, the storm had passed, but there was still a chill in the air, despite it being May. My teeth chattered slightly as I neared the banks, and my heart caught in my throat as I glimpsed a tall figure in black standing there, alone.

I knew it was Tom, not just because he had said he would be there, but because of the way it he stood, tall, upright, boldly, in a fearless manner. Almost like a Gryffindor. Except he looked more commanding then brave. His wand was out, and I caught sight of a white glow emanating from in front of him. As I stepped around the corner, I gasped.

A glowing white snake that seemed to be made up of some kind of corporeal mist was twisting through the air, wrapping itself into figure eights, its tongue sliding in and out from between its parted mouth. Tom was pointing its wand at it, looking very focused, his pale face deep in concentration. I took another step forward and accidentally stepped on a twig. As it snapped, Tom whipped around, his wand coming up, the snake disappearing, and his face becoming hard. As soon as he saw me he visibly relaxed, smirking.

"Party too boring for you?" His voice sounded softer in the quiet of the night. I shrugged, feeling lighter.

"Not enough to drink." He chuckled, before becoming me forward. I approached him slowly, full of curiosity.

"What- what was that thing?" He smiled, obviously glad I had asked.

"My Patronus," he stated simply. My eyes widened in wonder.

A Patronus. I knew what that was. It was an immensely difficult spell that apparently took wizards years to master, or at least, those who could produce one. It was used as a defensive spell against dementors, creatures that could awaken the worst feelings inside of you.

"A _Patronus?_ That's, that's amazing!" I didn't know what else to say, and so I continued standing there.

"You know what it is, then?" Tom asked curiously.

"Of course! Only the most powerful wizards can conjure it, with, a happy memory, am I right?" Tom nodded slowly.

"Yes, a memory that comes straight from your heart and brings you simple joy." I gazed up at him with admiration.

"Wow, that must've taken you a while to perfect it." Tom sucked in a breath.

"I mean, I wouldn't say that, necessarily." I cocked my head.

"What do you mean?" Tom let out a breath.

"Well, I knew what the incantation was, and I knew how much power I had to put into the words. I just- never really had the right _emotion_ to put behind the spell." He looked at me carefully, twirling his wand idly. "Until I realized that I was focusing on the wrong thing. I was too focused on something that I thought was making me happy when I had a memory that naturally did."

I was interested. I had never been able to produce a Patronus, simply because I lacked the teaching. My mother could, but hers was non corporeal. My father had simply never attempted to. My few failed attempts had just resulted in smoke and a lot of pent up frustration.

"Can you teach me?" I asked, bringing my hands together in excitement. Tom laughed.

"Melissa, you quite honestly don't need me to teach you. You already have all the power and emotions needed. All you need to do is find the right memory."

"And then I'll produce the glowing snake?"

"You'll create whichever animal that symbolizes the most." I raised an eyebrow.

"Yours is a snake?" He nodded. "Wow, a true Slytherin at heart, huh?"

Tom shrugged. "Guilty."

I snickered jokingly and stepped closer to the water, next to Tom.

"So, lord genius, what's first?" He rolled his eyes at the nickname.

"Well, instead of me trying and probably failing to teach you, why don't you just watch me?" I nodded in agreement.

Tom stepped back a bit and brought up his wand. He closed his eyes for a moment, and I watched as his face softened and his lips curved up into a soft smile. I wondered with a pang what he was thinking about.

" _Expecto Patronum!"_ Tom recited. Instantly, the snake burst out of his wand, hissing fiercely. I stepped back in bot amazement and fear as it snaked through the air almost protectively. Tom smirked when he saw my face.

"Don't fret, Melissa, it won't bite." I stuck my tongue out in a childish manner and watched as it slowly disappeared, leaving behind a slight shimmer.

"Do you think you can do that?" Tom asked, his eyes shining.

I had already pulled out my wand, and I narrowed my eyes at his taunting tone.

"Of course I can," I said, trying to keep my voice confident. I closed my eyes. What had Tom said? Focus on a memory that makes you naturally happy? My mind jumped to the time my parents had first taken me to Diagon Alley. I had gotten a large chocolate ice cream, which had melted all over my pink dress. But instead of reprimanding me for it, my parents had laughed, delighted at my innocence and clumsiness.

" _Expecto Patronum,"_ I chanted, feeling the warmth of the memory rush through me. I felt something rush through the wand, and when I opened my eyes, a bright light was issuing out of the top of it. But no animal. I frowned and looked at Tom, who didn't look surprised.

"What did I do wrong?" He shrugged.

"Simple. Your memory wasn't strong enough."

"What? It was one of my great childhood memories. How could it not be strong enough?"

Tom shrugged again.

"I don't know. Either you don't remember the feeling of joy you got from it vividly enough, or it doesn't compare enough to some of your happier moments." I bit my lip. What was happier than quality time with my parents? Maybe time with my friends?

I recalled a time when Zeke and I had been showing off some of our flying skills to our other friends. We had been laughing like crazy as we flew around in dizzy circles, and our friends had been teasing us light heartedly about how we were going to fall off and smash our skulls. Good times.

I prepared myself again.

" _Expecto-"_ Before I could finish it, I knew it wasn't going to work. My connection to Zeke had faded a bit, and I was hit with a wave of longing. I clenched my wand tighter. What could I think of? Aly's face, Tessa's face, even Connie's face flashed before my eyes, but I felt as if I were struggling. And then, a memory popped into my head. I was in the common room, no, the library, laughing, because someone across from me was telling a joke. His dark eyes were full of humor too, as he leaned towards me, lips curving into an all too familiar smirk. And then his lips were on mine, and my back was against an alley wall, and all I could think about was the butterflies in my stomach and the joy in my heart as I kissed him back. " _Expecto Patronum!"_ I shouted, flicking my wand.

Out of my wand lept a bright white fox, its tail snapping through the air as it kept towards the lake, dancing through the sky. I gasped as I stumbled back, staring. I heard Tom draw in a sharp breath as it bolted around in happy circled, before slowly fading into nothing.

"A fox," Tom murmured, just loud enough for me to hear him.

"My Animagus," I said, my lips breaking out into a smile. Tom stared at me.

"You're an ANIMAGUS?" He asked in amazement. I glanced at him.

"Yeah, did you not know?" The look on his face told me all I needed to know. "Oh, I thought I had told you. Well, very few people know about it, but it makes sense that it was my Patronus."

He kept looking at me for a moment, before shaking his head in disbelief. "Of course you got it on your second try." I snickered. Ha. Take that, Tom. "But, may I ask you, what were you thinking of? It must have been strong."

My cheeks immediately heated up, and I stared at my feet, praying he wouldn't notice. But, of course, he did.

"That bad, huh?" My humiliated gaze met his amused one. "Well, how about this. I'll tell you what memory I thought of if you tell me yours."

I glared. Why did he have to care so much? It wasn't like I meant anything to him, anyways.

"Oh please, I already know what yours was." His eyebrows raised, but I continued. "Was it that nice date you shared with a certain Calliope Brown right here in this very spot?" His mouth dropped and I continued. "Oh, I bet it was! Especially when she kissed you! I bet that just made your heart burst with joy, and a few other parts too!" Oh, I needed to stop with the innuendos. Russell was rubbing off on me too much.

Tom had been staring at me shock stricken, but when I added the last part, he looked as if he did;t know whether to cry or laugh.

"Melissa, what-"

"Save it," I said, my anger deflating. God, why was I getting so worked up? Especially after he had just helped me cast a Patronus? Why was I getting so upset all of a sudden?

I turned around, feeling my heart twist for some reason, when I felt him catch my hand. A jolt immediately shot up my arm as he turned me around to face him.

"Lissa, listen to me." His voice was stern, and his eyes were determined, but I could see a new emotion pushing past the wall that was usually put up. "Do you want to know what my happiest memory was? Because I am telling you right now it is nowhere close to what you just said."

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"It was that moment in the Astronomy Tower, after I had fastened the necklace around your neck, when you were lying against me. Your hair was spread out around you like a halo, and I remembered wondering when I had gotten so lucky. Your innocence and peacefulness just filled me with happiness, the most happiness I had ever felt in my life. It was that moment, so simple, when I figured it out." He let out a small breath.

"Figured what out?"

His mouth curved up, just a little bit, and I felt my pulse swoop.

"Don't you remember what I admitted to you on Valentine's Day? Or have you forgotten already?"

His voice held a little bit of disappointment in it, and I immediately spoke up.

"Of course I didn't forget, even though I acted like it. It was my happiest memory!" As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted it. What was he going to think?

Tom froze. I wasn't even sure if he was breathing, until I saw the pulse in his throat move.

"Your happiest memory?" He finally murmured in a silky tone. I bit my lip, nervous.

"Yeah, my happiest memory, even though I was technically cheating on my then boyfriend. I was happy because, well, it just felt right, in some weird twisted way. And then I broke up with Zeke because you said you felt the same but then I saw you kissing Callie and then I didn't know what to think-"

Tom squeezed my hand tight, and then jerked me forward into him, until we were face to face.

" _Callie means nothing."_ He hissed between gritted teeth, before bringing his lips down to mine.

His arms snaked around me as I instinctively leaned in, savoring the flavor of Tom, relishing the warmth radiating from his body as he sucked lightly on my bottom lip. My lips parted, and I pulled him closer to me, wanting more. Tom was all too happy to deliver. He devoured my lips, letting me lose myself in him, until sanity kicked in and I pulled away briefly.

I could see lust and eagerness swirling in Tom's dark eyes, which I was sure mirrored mine. But first-

"What does this mean?" I asked him hesitantly, quietly awaiting his response. Tom seemed to take an eternity before responding, his lips turning up into his signature smirk.

"Whatever you want it to mean." I opened my mouth to retort back, but he stopped me. " _I want you_ , remember," he said, echoing his words from Valentine's Day. I slowly smiled, before he pulled me back into his arms.


	27. Chapter 24-Explaining and Eavesdropping

"WAKE UP!" I felt someone slapping me with a pillow repeatedly as I struggled to open my eyes.

"Aly, mph, I'm up, I'm up," I groaned as I tried to avoid getting smacked.

"Lissa, I have a BIG problem, and I need your help, fast," Aly insisted, tossing her deflated pillow onto her bed. Her eyes were wide and her hair was draped over her shoulder, untangled and wild.

"That's what a guy said to me last week," Penny snickered from the corner. Tessa and Callie let out peals of laughter, and I grinned. Aly scoffed before turning back to me.

"Last night, I was sooo out of it, you know, with all that fire whiskey," Tessa and I simultaneously rolled our eyes. "And I think, I'm not sure, well, I'm pretty positive-"

"Oh, just spit it out," Connie called from the corner, where she was busy cuddling her adorable white munchkin cat, Vader, who was asleep in her lap. Personally, I thought Vader sounded like the name of some sort of big bad, robot super villain, but everyone else thought the name was adorable.

Aly glared and then dramatically waited for everyone to stop talking, which made me want to throttle her.

"Just say it!" Callie and I chorused.

"I THINK I SNOGGED CREEPY CLARKE!" Aly cried out, throwing her hands dramatically over her face. "Last night! In the corner of the common room near the giant statue of Rowena Ravenclaw!"

My ancestor, I thought briefly, before my mind focused on what she had said.

" _What_?!" We all shrieked at once as Aly began pacing. She nodded glumly.

"Yeah," she said.

"Ew!"

"Gross!"

"How?" I asked, revolted. Creepy Clarke was a seventh year Ravenclaw with greasy hair and a crooked smile who wandered around by himself trying to flirt with girls. He was weird, and smelled a bit like old fish, which was why many people tended to stay away from him, along with other reasons.

"Yeah, how?" Connie asked, scrunching up her nose. "I mean, the only way I can think of how he to you to kiss him is if he used Polyjuice Potion to transform himself into Tyler and-"

"Stop!" Aly said, mortified. "I don't even want to think about what Tyler right now. I mean, he would hate me if he finds out, which he's not going to of course!" She narrowed her eyes at us, and we all began nodding.

"You still haven't said how," I pointed out, while pulling my hair into a side braid.

Aly sighed.

"I don't really know. All I remember is him coming over to me when I was in a _horrible_ state of mind, and the next thing I know I wake up here with my lips buzzing, my hair a mess, and a memory of a really good make out-"

"EWW STOP!" We all shreieked.

"My ears are bleeding," Connie said dramatically, pretending to vomit on Vader, who looked mildly traumatized by all the commotion.

"There is no _way_ that Creepy Clarke is a good kisser!" Callie announced, her eyes wide.

"Aly, I think you were just delusional. Maybe you just dreamt the whole thing," Tessa added to try and keep the peace. Aly bit her lip, looking skeptical, but suddenly I remembered seeing Aly when I had been heading out.

"Oh wait, I did see you in the corner of the common room with a guy last night, as I was leaving the party! You were laughing!" Aly's face fell, and I mentally cursed myself. "But I didn't see any kissing though."

Aly shook her head, her blond tresses falling around her face, and reached over for a hairbrush on her bedside. "It's no use. I know what I did. And, it's not like I can go back in time to fix it or anything."

I stood up, pulling my braid over one shoulder.

"Look, Aly, even if you _did_ kiss him, that was yesterday. It can stay in the past. Anything can stay in the past, if you want it to."

Callie came up beside me, bumping shoulders with me.

"Ex-act-ly. Someone here said it." She grinned. "Unless it's something good. Like what happened to me."

"Ooh, what happened to you?" Aly asked, her "woe is me" mood replaced with curiosity in an instant.

Callie grinned, her smile like a feral cat's. She had that look about her, the high cheekbones and flashing eyes, the look that made her look full of mischief and wonder. Suddenly, I felt worried.

"George asked me out on a date last night!" She exclaimed, tossing her red hair behind her. I breathed out a quiet sigh of relief as there was a chorus of "Oh my goodness!" and "I never would have believed it!"

"You, go on a date? I'd like to see this _not_ end up in heartbreak for poor George," Penny stated, her ice blue eyes challenging her twin's. Callie crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, smiling.

"Oh, don't worry, it won't. I actually like this one." I clapped, laughing.

"Oh, so you've gotten over Riddle then?" Aly asked, putting her hairbrush down and plaiting her hair.

Callie shrugged. "Yeah, I don't think he was really interested. But it's okay, I've heard some weird rumors of what goes on in the Slytherin dungeons. Apparently he has every first second, and third year scared senseless of him and every other Slytherin doing whatever he says."

I frowned. Surely that wasn't true. I mean, I knew that he didn't have the best reputation, and he was known for being powerful and being a heartbreaker, but having everyone _scared_ of him? That was a little extreme.

"I don't think that's completely true," I said, wanting to defend him. "He's not all that bad once you get to know him. He's just had a rough childhood, that's all."

Callie looked at me, her eyes genuinely sincere.

"Lissy, I'm not trying to intrude on your friendship, or romance, or whatever's going on between you two." I heard Aly choke on air, as I widened my eyes. "But, as your friend since first year, I'm just gonna let you know that a lot of the guys that I have slep- talked to-" Penny sniggered as Callie tried to fix her sentence. " _Talked_ to, have shared some weird stories with me."

I scoffed. "And you seriously believe them? Callie, they were probably just jealous of him and trying to make him look bad."

Tessa nodded. "She might be right, Cal. That usually happens to a lot of Slytherins. Everyone told me that Nott was some sort of evil mutant, but he's actually decent at conversation." I felt a rush of warmth towards my best friend, seeing her speak up for the most hated house.

"Nott? What's going on between you two then?" Penny asked, interested. Tessa flushed.

"Nothing! Nothing at all! I-"

"Don't worry Tess, everyone knows who you fancy. How have you still not made it official? You two were practically attached at the hip last night!" Callie exclaimed. Tessa smiled, grateful.

"Okay, that's enough of this gossip. I'm starving, and I'm tired of listening to all this pointless drama," Connie groaned from the corner. "Can we just go eat breakfast now?" She stood up and dumped Vader on the ground, who darted away under the bed, yowling. I sighed, still feeling a bit upset at the accusations against Tom, especially after last night, but I stayed quiet. I knew the difference between times I should speak up or keep my bloody mouth shut, and now was one of the latter.

The six of us made our way to the Great Hall, chattering about the finals that were coming up in a month. I personally was not looking forward to the Herbology exam, having absolutely no knowledge of plants whatsoever. My friends, however, were dreading the History of Magic exam.

"Why is history sooo boring?" Connie complained as we took our normal seats at the Ravenclaw table.

"Because Professor Binns is ancient and likes to stand at the front of his classroom and nod off while we all watch," Russell put in from next to us.

"Honestly, I'm surprised the old sod hasn't died in his sleep yet!" Cooper added. Tessa shot him a look at that, but he just grinned.

"Anywayys, Melissa, how's it feel, whipping Gryffindor's sorry arses yesterday at the match?" Tyler said, leaning past Cooper towards us. Zeke, from his spot beside his, smiled at me briefly, before taking another piece of toast. I could feel my lips turn up slightly as I responded.

"Oh, I think our whole team can say that we were getting quite tired of all their bragging. Honestly, they're sometimes worse than Slytherins!"

"Putting them in their places was probably my favorite memory of this whole year!" Aly exclaimed from besides me, beaming. Tyler's eyes seemed to glaze over as he stared at her, but as soon as Aly met his gaze, she immediately stiffened, and turned her head away. I knew she was upset at the prospect that she might have kissed Creepy Clarke, and I saw Tessa squeeze her hand comfortingly.

Tyler's eyes filled with so much hurt, and he slowly turned back towards his breakfast, stabbing at it with his fork.

I felt a pang of sympathy for the two of them, and I bit my lip. Suddenly, I felt someone looking at me. I turned around, facing the Slytherin table, looking over to where Tom was sitting with his friends. A girl was leaned over him, obviously trying to flirt, but Tom seemed bored, pushing away her flimsy hand from his chest and staring at something in his hand, which kind of looked like- two rings?

I barely got a glimpse of it before he slipped it inside his robes. His face turned up, and he immediately caught sight of me. I felt my cheeks heat up, and I immediately snapped my head back around, but not before he shot me a wink, accompanied by his trademark smirk.

 _God help me_.

I dropped my spoon into my oatmeal with a loud clatter.

"You know what? I uh- think I'm gonna go take a stroll." All the tension in the air was stressing me out, when all I wanted to do was eat in peace. I grabbed a few biscuits off the table, and stuffed them into my mouth, just hoping for some fresh air.

"But you just got here!" Jordan protested, but I waved him off.

Outside, the weather was warm, and I was thankful that my hair was in a braid and not weighing me down. I slowly trotted to the Quidditch field, feeling the sun's smile on my back and the breeze whisper in my ears. I closed my eyes trying to enjoy the moment. However, my mind kept flitting to the memory of Tom winking, and I found myself tripping over my own two feet.

"Son of a-"

" Don't finish that," a smooth voice said from behind me. I almost groaned out loud, not even bothering to turn around.

"How come you always show up, right when I'm thinking about you?" I questioned out loud.

"You were thinking about me? Oh, how sweet," Tom drawled, coming up beside me. I rolled my eyes.

"Please, you're the one who's always following me around all the time and has no sense of personal space." My voice was light but I was wondering if he was planning on bring up the-

"Well, as I seem to remember, you didn't really care much for our personal space either."

He brought it up.

I flushed, and almost stopped breathing when Tom smiled lazily at me again, and stepped closer to me.

His eyes were dark, filled with mischief and knowledge, but something else glimmered deep inside. I let out a breath and placed my hand out before he could take another step closer.

"About that... last night-" Tom furrowed his brow.

"What?"

"Um, well, I'm not really sure, well, what it meant." Tom looked at me as if I were crazy and ran a hand through his already tousled hair.

"I told you, whatever you want. If you want me, like most girls do-"

"I'm not like most girls," I said firmly, although a voice in the back of my head murmured, ' _well, you are, actually. You do want him. The only thing special about you is that you're a sorceress, but that shouldn't matter, your personality is not any more special than any other girl.'_

I told myself to shut up. However, Tom spoke again.

"You're right, you're not. I shouldn't have said that. You're a lot smarter, kinder, and more beautiful and powerful then any of them could wish to be. And you're just an incredible person to be around."

My face was LITERALLY about to catch on fire.

"Tom-"

"Look, I know I've been quite disrespectful at times, and a coldhearted Slytherin at others, and you mayyy have heard some stories about me-"

I froze.

"But last night meant something, for me, and I'm hoping it meant something for you too." My mind was processing his words but I was still wondering what he and others meant by the 'stories about him' to be thrilled.

"What do you say, will you give me a chance?" I really wanted to say yes, to kiss him again, as he looked at me with wide dark eyes and a face full of hope. But I knew that behind the innocent mask lay another Tom, a more cunning Tom, a Tom that I had seen in my first five years.

 _Be smart,_ my mind warned.

I exhaled, and slowly, took a step back, away from Tom. His face fell, but I held up my hand for him to wait.

"I'm not saying that we shouldn't continue, _this_ , whatever it is," I said, "but I think we should wait it out, just a little."

"What do you mean?"

I bit my lip a bit.

"Well, you know, your friends, my friends, they might question it a bit, and same with our professrs-"

"You really care what all of them think that much about us?"

 _No, but I need to be sure of what 'us' is before I can make a decision._

"Um-" Suddenly, a strange look flitted over his face, and he opened his mouth and cut me off.

"Wait, actually, I think you're right." I shut my mouth and drew back.

"You do?" He nodded, his fingers drumming against his robes.

"Yes. It wouldn't be fair of me to pressure you into this-" Okay, strange. "-and also, I do understand where you are coming from. I'm sure my sup- _friends-"_ Again. Strange. "-probably wouldn't take or relationship seriously." I blushed, but Tom just kept a stoic face.

"Oh, uh, okay." I really didn't know what to say. I mean, sure, I was planning on investigating those stories I had been hearing about, but why was he acting so okay with it? Tom wasn't one to give in easily.

Tom smirked at my befuddled expression before making a U turn towards the school again. I followed along, staying quiet, trying to walk with my eyes shut as I counted the number of times I tripped over rocks.

Finally, I spoke up again.

"Hey, Tom-"

My foot caught on something and I felt my knees give way. I was about to shriek when I realized that Tom had an arm around me, holding me still. He was frowning.

"Were you walking with your eyes shut again?"

"Uh, heh, yeah."

"I thought you Ravenclaws were supposed to be smart." I was about to open my mouth and protest when I realized how close together we were. I blinked a couple of times, my cheeks heating up for the millionth time this morning.

Tom seemed to realize this too, and he stood shock still for a moment, before grinning.

"What's the matter, Melissa? I glared at him, my face still on fire, and tried to sep out of his grip. Instead, Tom just pulled me towards him and pressed his lips onto mine.

It may sound fake, but my knees felt weak, and I was sure that my face was the same shade as a plum. Kissing Tom two days in a row was getting to me, and I had already forgotten how wonderful it felt. All too soon, he pulled away, smirking, the tiniest hint of color in his face.

"What? Is that not something friends do?" He asked innocently, staring at my flustered expression. I groaned and leaned forward, placing my head against his chest, not wanting to meet his eyes as he laughed, tightening his lock on me.

 **Third Person POV**

He wandered down the corridor, his eyes scanning the area for the girl he was looking for. He kept catching glimpses of long dark hair, or bright eyes, but none of them belonged to the person he was looking for.

As he turned the corner, he heard two voices.

"Do you know when he's going to do it?"

He instinctively ducked behind a statue of a one eyed witch, holding his breath. The two voices were coming closer to him, one high and cold, and the other low and raspy.

"I don't know. He had us search for them at the beginning of the school year, and he got his hands on them months ago, yet he still hasn't done it."

He recognized the two voices. They were two Slytherins, both in his year.

"Do you know why he's hesitating?"

There was a pause. Then a sigh.

"I believe, that it's because of her."

"Who?"

"Carnell."

There was another pause.

The boy gripped the letter in his hand tighter as his eyes widened. In the letter was a written apology for acting like a douche the past few months. His knuckles turned white as he clenched it fiercely and strained to listen to the conversation.

"You can't be serious. Tom would never-"

" _Don't call him Tom, you fool! Don't you know that he hates his father's name ever since he made the ring-"_

"Ohhh yeah, I forgot."

"Honestly, sometimes I just can't understand why he would let _you_ of all people join the group."

"Because I respect him."

"Because you fear him. As you should. You aren't as close to him as I am. You have no idea how much power he has."

"I know him just as well as you do, and I know how important he is."

"Please. You're too thickheaded to understand anything."

"Shut up, prick."

The voices were heading away now, fading down the corridor. He could only make out a little bit of what they were saying, and from what it sounded like, they were quarreling. But he didn't care about that. His mind was still focused on the names they had said.

Tom. As in Tom Riddle.

The biggest snake of all time.

And Carnell. Melissa Carnell.

Zeke sighed as his worried best friend conscience began nipping at him again. What had she gotten herself into this time?

With one last reproachful look towards the disappearing Slytherins, he made his way back up the hall, determined to find out what was going on.


End file.
